RoyalPsycho on DeviantArthttps://www.deviantart.com/royalpsycho/art/Nineteen-Eighty-Three-481503945RoyalPsycho

Deviation Actions

RoyalPsycho's avatar

Nineteen Eighty Three

By
Published:
19.5K Views

Description

Nineteen Eighty Three:

A request by Steve L. as well as an alternative of Decades of Darkness. Writeup is by Steve L.


In 1938, a former Australian military strategist, and Great War veteran, Joseph Montgomery, was a man looking for a way to pass the time, so he began to write a novel. And a rather dark one at that. He invisioned a world, 45 years from the present, in which three great power blocs dominated the world's politics, led by Russia, Australia, and the U.S., respectively. With the help and input of several friends & colleagues, including a Russian diplomat and a pair of American expats, it was eventually completed in the winter of 1939, and sold to a publisher in Melbourne, Macquarie, and it almost immediately became a hot seller in that country.

A large part of the book revolved around a man named Andrew Jackson Hamilton, from an unspecified part of the northern parts of the United States, and his wereabouts and doings, first on the weekend of 24 and 25 September, 1983, and then on the 26th of September.

Hamilton was a upper-middle-class fellow who worked for a truly massive privately owned publishing conglomerate, and his original job was script writing for advertisements, but he was also often used, by the same company, as an editor for history textbooks. In more detail, he operated as a corporate historical revisionist, perpetually writing and rewriting records and documents, as his bosses, and their customers and collaborators, see fit. Though a rather diligent worker, Hamilton became troubled by his work, and sought to learn the real history of the world, while also beginning to turn against "The System". What he found out, shocked him to his core. And ultimately, his quest for knowledge ended with him being taken in by Federal Police and tortured by corrupt cops. His part of the story ends with the reader not knowing if he had been merely re-educated, or if he was outright murdered by the corrupt lawmen.

The description:

The post-Great War years were filled with difficulty in many respects, for nearly every nation in the world. In the United States, terrorism and political discontent over the occupation of Peru, Charcas, and Chile, continued, even as the war was seemingly going America's way. And when things stopped going so well, things got much worse in both respects. And after the assassination of a Democratic President, the hawks began to take over Congress wholesale and plunged the nation into yet another conflict, which ended with the U.S. wresting control over most of the remnants of free South America, with only Equador and Argentina excepted; Argentina managed to get some help from the Russians and the Aussies in the early '50s which prevented their fall. An American attempt to invade New England in 1955 also failed, with tens of thousands of American deaths. The country then retreated back into itself, eventually becoming a full-blown totalitarian ultra-capitalist state, with only a nominal "government" to speak of.

The Russians hadn't been all that involved in the Great War, but eventually realized that a new era was dawning on the world. During the 1940s, they began to contemplate building their own alliance, and in 1947, the "Eurasian Universe", as St. Petersburg called it, was born, initially including just Russia, Finland, North China, and Poland, but eventually, Persia and some of the newer Middle Eastern states as well.

Australia, meanwhile, had been recovering from its own political malaise, and Nowra, too, realized the changes in realpolitik that lay ahead for the decades to come. They, however, took a different approach than the Russians, by actively collaborating with their allies, instead of dominating as Russia did. And perhaps such an initiative could not have come at a better time; by the end of the 1950s, it was clear that the world was moving towards what seemed like a potentially endless three-way standoff.....

By the year 1983, all three of the blocs had equipped themselves with thousands of nuclear weapons each and tensions were at an all time high.....

The U.S. had a rougher time than expected in dealing with the Amistad countries and it took until 1948 to put them all down, and with nearly 4 million men deployed at peak, to do so, along with nearly endless chemical and biological warfare, mass killings of civilians, etc. And when it was discovered that some of the rebels had been operating out of Argentina & Brazil, the Jackals stomped down, hard, on both countries, and only Russian intervention prevented Argentina from collapsing entirely. And even then, the Chaco provinces and the former Cisplatina were still lost to the Americans. Later on, the Americans tried, and failed, to take New Jersey and the former N.Y. from the Yankees(President Caden had been assassinated in Saint Louis in 1954, and the government blamed abolitionists funded by Hartford) and lost many in the cities of Norfolk, Va. and Charleston, S.C. , to gassing attacks in July 1956, but only after the same was tried on Hartford and Boston.

On the afternoon of October 27th, 1956, an American bomber was spotted headed towards New York City. In response, the Yankees launched their own bomber. soon after. The American blitzcraft was shot down over northeast Pa. and eventually fell harmlessly into the waters just to the south of Long Island. But the Yankee bomber hit it's target. Not Columbia, but the city of Calhoun, Mississippi(well known for it's being home of the American Slave-holders' Society), which was annihilated, and most of it's 100,000 residents killed. To show the Yankees they meant business, the city of Halifax, Nova Scotia, was destroyed as revenge, and a huge wave of high-explosive cruise missiles slammed into various military & high value targets across the region. The Yankees responded with a cruise missile attack of their own, but nothing more came out of that.

But the most horrific strikes had not yet come. As punishment for their resistance, the cities of Cordoba, Santa Fe, and General Macias (OTL's Mar del Plata) were themselves attacked with nuclear weapons and President William Lyman Eastland threatened additional attacks if the Argentine government did not capitulate; only after a tense argument amongst various officials in Buenos Aires was an agreement reached. Furthermore, in exchange for pulling the troops out(slowly) the Americans also took the Malvinas Islands and installed a Navy base there, presumably to remind the Argentines that they would always be watched. October 27th, from then on, would be known as "Vengeance Day" in the United States.

Meanwhile, social problems at home had gotten rather nasty; by 1953, anti-establishment riots, including an increasing number of abolitionist protests, were happening nearly every week, slowly but steadily straining both the resources and the mental health of many police officers in the cities. It hadn't helped that slave revolts were also becoming more and more common as well, especially in the Gulf States, where many blacks felt they had absolutely nothing to lose. And a renegade runaway slave assassinating the prominent West Florida senator, Ronald Wertham, in November, 1956, proved to be one of the final nails in the coffin. The slave, known only as "Samantha", was soon captured, and brutally lynched on live television on Christmas Eve, along with the people accused of assisting her and giving her shelter; that, by the way, soon provided an excuse for elements of the government to put the final touches on their surveillance apparatuses.

The Patriotism and Protection of Loyalty Act of 1958 was introduced by a South Carolina congressman and quickly swept through both Houses, and was enthusiastically signed by President Eastland. This law, along with its brother bill, The American Values Act, would forever change the face of America, and all for the worst. Both of these laws essentially totally gutted whatever remained of government that could not be used, or twisted by, the slave-holding and corporate elite to their favour.

The one president that could have potentially stopped this, Jackson Chiles, was brutally assassinated by a Jaguar unit in 1963. His vice-president, Franklin Wallace, was warned, in no uncertain terms, that if he ever tried to "betray the nation to the forces of anti-Americanism" that he, too, would be disposed of. Chiles' murder was blamed on a lone gunman and subsequently covered up. And with that, it was clear that whatever little legitimacy the American system had, was now gone, and possibly forever.

On the outside, the United States may seem open and welcoming, to white people, anyway(or at least, to those not from any of the two other blocs), and indeed, the outward laissez-faire, bon temps rouler appearance of certain cities in the nation would indicate a rather relaxed, and perhaps even libertine attitude to the uninformed observer. Unfortunately, however, looks can be quite deceiving, and, in this case, are very much so. Even a pasty-white person caught anywhere outside the "Freedom Zones" doing certain activities is very liable to find themselves not just arrested, but sometimes, roughed up and left to rot in prison, often for life. And that's hardly the worst of it.

In all reality, the United States in 1983 is very much a far-right hyper-nationalist corporatist state, even much more so than half a century before. Though the civil government is almost small enough to drown in a bathtub, they are very much an enforcer for the real power behind the scenes; the corporations, and the old-money planters & other patricians such as the Rhett, Calhoun, Harrison, and Randolph families (and some new up-and-comers, like the Cadens of Nicaragua, or the Hearst family in Missouri) are practically the American version of old nobility. There is also a rather noticeable tendency towards reactionary social conservatism amongst the elite, particularly amongst many of the wealthiest planters. Some have even adopted Vitalistic views, and a few have gone so far that even Shane Mullins would be horrified, at that.

And, particularly since the late '40s, a strong element of religious traditionalism has also become prominent in many areas of the country.

Life in general doesn't seem terribly free for those citizens who don't fit into the upper echelons of society; indeed, society is quite restrictive and conformist, sometimes to an extreme, and there is an overbearing emphasis on hardcore white supremacy, military (and slavery) worship, and so-called "Christian values", as defined by the elite; evangelism is quite strong in the smaller towns and rural areas, and often reaches fanatical heights(Many Canadians and Yankees in particular, who are unlucky, or perhaps curious, enough to catch these programs, are often shocked by just how nutty some preachers are.).

Organized crime is virtually ubiquitous in nearly every major city but they always seem to largely target foreigners.....whether staying here or at home, abroad. They've even got de-facto lobbyists in Columbia now and it's also plainly obvious to many that they're also secondary enforcers of elitist rule in the country. Many a person from Schoolcraft to the streets of Bogota have run afoul of the mobsters, and not too many of those who have really gotten on their dark side have lived to tell the tale.

The Bill of Rights has pretty much been torn to shreds at this point; the Security State came to full fruition in the Fifties and pretty much everyone who isn't rich or a slave-owner is a potential victim of "The System", no matter how cooperative they may be. The police are everywhere, but never seem to really touch the various crime syndicates(unless they step out of the accepted line). Instead, they turn on petty crooks, often engaging in excessive force, and sometimes crossing the line into outright brutality(it has been noted that Italians, Greeks, Slavs, and Franco-Americans have often received the worst treatment). And dissidents are repressed very harshly, with mass executions not unheard of.

Politics are a total sham; both the Unionists and the Democrats are nothing but paid-off shills for various corporate, and/or planter interests, and most of those few folks who have gone against the grain have found themselves, at the very least, intimidated by the "Grand Council", or, worse, murdered(and, sometimes, their families with them). The various megachurches have also gained a significant amount of their own influence in Congress.

The mainstream media is very much controlled by a handful of conglomerates, and is so completely banal and bland that such would impress even many Libyans. There is no entertainment for the most part, except for various poorly scripted movies and TV shows that are quite clearly made with a propagandist bent, including some religious programming. And the news media is essentially a total mouthpiece for the Powers That Be, with constant praises of the virtues of extreme laissez-faire dog-eat-dog capitalism, white supremacy, and of course, slavery, being heard on at least some stations on most days(with the sometimes interspersal commentary by fundamentalists].

Education is even more of a corporate enterprise and it, too, focuses on a clearly biased worldview, with Matthism and slavery presented as wondrous virtues; religious fanaticism is also praised in some curricula[depending on one's location]. And many schools have incorporated truly harsh discliplinary tactics for students who happen to fall out of line; some of the most reactionary schools often encourage parents to dish out their own punishments, both at school and at home. Sadly, it's not uncommon for students to snap and engage in acts of horrific violence after being pushed too far; by the 1970s as many as a thousand school shootings and other violent acts, often involving deaths, have been confirmed, on average, every year, by outside sources deep within the country, and that's only what is known.

Economically speaking, moving up the ladder is even harder to do than it was half a century ago. The vast majority of white Americans are lower-middle class, and many are often saddled with crushing debt. Unemployment is lower than it once was, but only because corporate sponsored "Right to Work" programs, as they are so called, have been adopted nationwide, since the end of the Fifties. But, on the flip side, unionism is not permitted in most areas, and even in the few places where it is, the unions are often hamstrung and subject to intimidation; union leaders disappearing or even being outright assassinated are not unheard of, unfortunately. As one would expect, wages for free workers are usually quite crappy and for many, the opportunity to look down on slaves and peons is just about the only thing that keeps them going; and even then, that hasn't prevented strikes, and sometimes nasty ones as well (one strike in Baton Rouge in 1974 resulted in the Federal Police being called in, and the deaths of 180 workers). The lucky few who do enjoy above-average wages tend not to rock the boat and put on a smiling face. And women working, as anything other than secretaries or schoolmarms? Forget about it!

The social lives of the ordinary citizens have gotten a bit crapsackish as well; women are no longer allowed to vote in many states and other rights, such as divorce, have been damn near whittled down to nothing. In many places, in fact, women really only live by the whims of their husbands.....or male relatives. Homosexuality is absolutely not tolerated in most places, and there have been thousands and thousands of cases of gays and lesbians being murdered.....or simply "disappearing" into thin air. And even more moderate Christians who go up against the grain and the religious establishment are themselves persecuted.

Atheists are tolerated, but mainly only if they're hardcore conservatives; many tend to make an extra effort to seem super loyal to The System. Pagans are simply disappeared or shot on sight when they are found, depending on where they are.

Anti-Semitism is surprisingly rare, but many liberal Jews were either murdered by corrupt cops or angry slaveholders, or jailed for dissident "un-American" activities. Those who survive, either fled the country(mainly to New England and Australia), or, are either deep undercover and/or in hiding. Conservative Jews are tolerated, as long as they don't rock the boat or criticize Christianity too much.

Liberal Catholics didn't fare too well, either, as they met a similar fate like their Jewish comrades. Most who survived have also fled out of the nation, but some have remained, and many of *them* are part of an active anti-System resistance that is spreading across the country.....

And if you thought the citizens in the states didn't have it too good.....the military zones are just plain hellish, and peons and slaves are quite lucky to have only slightly crappy lives at the very best, even in the states. And at the worst? It can be a living nightmare. It has been known for some time that particularly troublesome non-citizens have often been used for target practice for not just the Army, but for mercenary squads and even the Jaguars as well. And even in the states, trigger-happy lawmen are all too happy to shoot up slaves and peons just for fun, and only rarely, are they disciplined, and even then, almost always only when a slaveholder or peon contractor calls the local police to complain about the maimed or lost labour.

Emigration, even to neutral states, is almost impossible to do legally for any citizen, even if you're an old-money Anglo-Saxon Protestant and quite wealthy. So many people who've left America have chosen to take less approved measures, including sneaking over the border to New England, Canada, or even Argentina. Although, of course, the Americans are actually quite happy to take in dissidents from either of the two other blocs.....even some Uzbek Muslims and some radical Orthodox Old Believers have been able to gain residence here.

The American System has only a pair of real allies, those being Equador and the Turkish Sublime State, the former ruled by a particularly reactionary (and badly ageing) Hapsburger and the other a quasi-Vitalist state with strong *Islamist undertones. Virtually everyone else who deals with them is either a puppet of Columbia or simply looking to enrich themselves by fouling with their neighbours, or either of the other two blocs. In the non-*Islamist states, evangelical outfits have proliferated, spreading the gospels of American capitalism and intolerance of deviation to whomever they can reach.

Though the government tries to keep putting on a positive spin on things, there has, in recent years been a rash of rebellions and revolts, not seen in over 30 years. Law enforcement in the fringe territories has become damn near impossible at times and even in some of the states, there's been increasing order problems, particularly as more and more young people have begun to take to the streets with weapons and illegally modified horstcars, and terrorizing the hell out of anyone white who even acts or looks like they might be a shill for "The System".....and as some of the organized crime outfits begin to make their own ambitions for power and control clear as daylight. It's become such an absolute constant problem in some places that the military has resorted to becoming directly involved. To make matters worse, the government is having an increasingly hard time keeping the Russians and the Coalition at each other's throats, and whatever was left of the real economy is slowly rotting away at the core.

People across the country are beginning to notice, and are getting scared to death.....or, in some cases, giving up altogether, or even joining the anti-establishment movement.

The Eurasian Universe is the second of the great power blocs. While far from perfect, they are not nearly as screwed up as the U.S., and are even fairly democratic in many cases, if perhaps sometimes rather conservative, socially.

Russia is the dominant power here and is still ruled by the Tsar from St. Petersburg. It is a democratic state, but is also still somewhat conservative on the whole, with the Russian Orthodox Church still having an active role in the lives of many. But it's also somewhat egalitarian as well, with a few blacks and Latinos fleeing the horrors of life in the United States having been assimilated into society, and there is very little (serious) official discrimination against [Northern] Chinese, Poles, Greeks, Arabs, Indians, Koreans, Japanese, etc., and anti-Semitism and anti-Romani racism are also largely a thing of the past. However, though, Russia does have a bit of an Islamophobia problem, and which hasn't been helped by the Americans funding the rise of radical Islamic terrorism in the Middle East and North Africa, particularly in the former German Libya and what was Turkish Mesopotamia. Muslims who do still live in Russia are often kept under close watch by the authorities, and any sign of radicalism is quickly stamped out, and often, the worst offenders are sent to prisons in Siberia. On the other hand, Yazidis and Zoroastrians have been quite welcomed in Russia, and in fact, one Russian oblast even had a Zoroastrian governor in the '70s, while in that same decade, a Yazidi became the mayor of Karaganda, two times in a row.

The Russian Empire itself has evolved significantly over the past several decades: many of it's polities have become autonomous to various degrees over the years. The nation's governance is divided into 3 sections: the core of Russia itself, the Confederated Subjects, and the various National Regions.

The Confederated Subjects have some autonomy, but are still governed directly by St. Petersburg; they include polities such as Georgia, East Turkestan, Karakalpakia, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, and Almaty. These places are, with only East Turkestan and Mongolia excepted, primarily majority Russian in ethnicity and the Russian Orthodox Church is the official state church in these areas. And perhaps even more so than in Russia itself, Muslims are subjects to more surveillance, questioning, etc., than other groups of people in most of these places (with Mongolia possibly excepted). Despite this, however, the local people do have more of a say than they would in Russia itself.

On the third and final level of governance are the Associated Nations, that are largely self-governing but still recognize the Tsar as a secondary executive head of state. All four of the Baltic nations, Muntenia, Moldavia, Turkmenia, and Azerbaijan, are in this last tier. They're typically the most diverse, with only Azerbaijan having any real plurality of Russians.

Russia does have a few allies in the world, including Persia, Iraqistan, Abyssinia, South India, and North China, and Lebanon, Serbia, Bulgaria, Cyprus, and Greece, are their puppet states. It also gets along decently with Japan as well. But it doesn't trust the Coalition all that much, and it has an even worse opinion of the United States.

Life in general is better for civilians in Russia than in America; women are still allowed to vote and divorce is legal. Children are also never subjected to the extreme social and academic pressures that American children have to deal with. But as mentioned in part before, things are by no means perfect. Muslim s in particular have to be very careful about what they do or say in public, and there have been many instances of entire neighbourhoods searched in blackouts over even trivial threats. Muslims also have limited freedom of worship in many areas, including the forbidding of public prayers. Travel to Mecca usually goes without a hitch, but people are often heavily searched on the way back. And even Indians and Chinese are sometimes subjected to some prejudice, but rarely even coming close to the level occasionally levelled against Muslims. Despite these problems, however, outright racism is actually rare, and the Church does advocate ethnic harmony when and where possible[preferably all under the Cross, of course!). Russia itself has even had a Lebanese Prime Minister in recent years. And despite being mostly Muslims themselves, the Persian community has gotten quite a bit of a break compared to their fellows, mainly thanks to civil rights groups operating on their behalf.

Most Russians are adherents of Orthodoxy, but some Catholics exist, and there are at least a few agnostics and atheists as well; while many Russians do secretly prefer their non-Orthodox neighbours convert to their sect, there is rarely any serious prejudice against non-Orthodox Christians, or even Jews, Yazidis, and Zoroastrians. Libyans and Turks, unfortunately, often aren't as fortunate and there have been instances of the police in some areas not conducting enough of a proper investigation into murders, robberies, etc.

The police are just about as omnipresent as in America, in many areas of Russia, and the military also plays a role in law enforcement in more rural areas, but they are far less corrupt, and not quite as reactionary, than their American counterparts, and are much better disciplined as well. Surveillance is also ubiquitous, with a camera on nearly every major street corner. But, also unlike America, the police only rarely go totally out of their way to interrogate suspected wrongdoers, in normal situations, but there have been some unfortunate incidences, one of which included the destruction of a mosque in Kalmykia after a suspected bombing attack on a school in a nearby city, in 1977. And even in normal times, they are more likely to arrest and detain Muslims and Chinese than anyone else.

Religious fanaticism does exist in some places in Russia, but they are typically not militant in nature. Those who are, are often closely watched by the government, and, sometimes, rooted out.

Economic mobility isn't exactly easy, but society has proven to be rather more egalitarian than that in America. Women are still encouraged to stay at home or go into teaching and secretarial positions, but some have managed to crack the glass ceiling in more recent years. And some minorities have been able to keep up with Slavic Russians, but some others, not so much; workplace discrimination, is unfortunately, not uncommon against non-Persian Muslims, Chinese, Turks, and Buddhists. And in some areas, certain minorities can still be fired for any reason whatsoever. Some basic social welfare does exist, but it is mostly charity-run, and non-Persian Muslims in particular often have a harder time applying for it than most, primarily because they've been stuck with a reputation for being lazy and shiftless good-for-nothings, who'll skim off the Russian dime just to get extra benefits, etc.; that, however, has been changing in recent years, although to the chagrin of some more Islamophobic elements in the country.

Poverty, unfortunately, remains a serious problem, and some minorities in particular, especially those on the lower ends of the social spectrum, have chosen to strike out elsewhere; there is, surprisingly, a not insignificant community of Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Tajiks, and (mainly non-Orthodox) Chinese in Australia. A good number of Manchu Chinese, Tatars and Azeris have settled in Canada, and New England is home to many Crimean Jews.

The mainstream media is freer than that in America, and the government has made an effort to at least ensure that no one company, or group of companies, has total dominance over the airwaves. Still, however, competition is fierce and one company from Volgograd still has managed to get nearly half of the total market share in Russia itself. Indigenous state-run media companies, however, are reasonably protected, and some states have even regulated how much Russian media can operate in their country. In return, these companies have offered free translation to Russian for much of their television programming, as well as Russian-language funk-based news services, amongst other things. Religious media is fairly common, and operates largely freely, but a few basic regulations have been adopted by the Russian government to keep things civil(i.e. no hate speech, etc.). Non Farsi Islamic media, however, is hard to come by, although at least a couple of Jewish-oriented companies have a fair amount of influence, and even the Zoroastrians and the Yazidis have a few stations of their own.

Education is partly state-run, but the Church does exhibit some influence, and in many areas, at least one or two religious classes are required learning at some point. But there is greater freedom than in America, and education here is seen as a right for all, instead of a tool for shaping and moulding children to the will, and in the image, of the monied elite. Even so, though, many Russian students do envy their counterparts in Canada, New England and elsewhere, and sometimes travel to these places to complete their tertiary education.

Politics are definitely less corrupt than in America, and there is at least some basic freedom of choice. However, though, a small handful of parties still do dominate the Duma, and don't offer all that much in the way of diverse policies. Corporate lobbying is very much a reality here, but at least they can't outright buy representatives like they can Senators and Congressmen in the States. And unlike in America, you can at least form our own party; just don't expect to necessarily have any real representation, though.

Emigration from Russia is highly regulated and America and its satellites are amongst the few places where passports will not be issued by any official. Travel to Australia is still allowed, but is still rather restricted, and those few who wish to leave Russia for Australia altogether must pass rigorous testing. For that reason, many emigrants usually apply for visas to the allied states or neutral nations, and then leave for their real desired destination. People who try to leave in any other matter are viewed with great suspicion, and hundreds are arrested every year because of this. And those caught sneaking into the country suffer even worse punishment; sometimes, one may not even get a trial.

Russia, in recent years, has become increasingly concerned about the emergence of a number of ultra-nationalist organizations in the south of Central Asia, as well as a few in Mongolia and East Turkistan, several of which have committed a number of deadly terror attacks. It is generally suspected that many of them are being directly funded by the United States and a certain few other players, but are unwilling to quite spark the next Great War over that....well, not yet, anyway. It doesn't help that America's been sabre-rattling like never before, openly blaming both of the other two blocs for many of their social and economic problems.

But at least their relationship with Australia and the other Coalition members isn't nearly as outright testy as it was in the middle Sixties; the Formosa Crisis almost sparked a nuclear war between the two of them. Neither of the two sides trust each other all that well, but at least some basic talks have occurred in recent years. Whatever the case, many Russians are praying for peace to come, and soon.....

The Democratic Coalition is the perhaps the least flawed, of the three major blocs. Although led in a large part by Australia, it is the most decentralized of the three blocs and the other member states have much more of a say in the day to day geopolitical affairs of the organization.

The other core members of the Democratic Coalition are Ireland, Kenya, Zambezia, Ceylon, Jamaica, South Africa, and the restored Great Britain, and all are democracies that are liberal(though sometimes more in a classical sense) to varying degrees. And with only Jamaica excepted, they are also all significant military powers. They have a good number of allies and these include a rather interesting array of nations, including a few former European colonies. They include nations such as Madagascar, Nigritia, Benin, the Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Morocco, North India, Upper Volta, and Cameroon, most of which are reasonably functioning democracies themselves. Palestine, Liberia, and New England are also partial to them, but remain officially neutral.

Citizens of the Coalition countries are generally better off than most any nation in the world. Women can vote and get a divorce in all of the nations these days and education is top notch, being rivalled only by New England and a handful of other countries, such as Canada and Japan. But, as this is a 1984-esque world, even the Coalition has their own issues.

Australia, in particular, hasn't always had an easy time dealing with the many immigrants who've tried settling in the country in recent years. During the 1950s, Prime Minister Alexander Layton suggested a system in which the immigrants would be encouraged to preserve their own cultures wholesale within the greater Australian culture, which he called the "Salad Bowl". Unfortunately, however, this well-intentioned setup ran into a large number of problems, and by the end of the Sixties, gang warfare, some of it ethnic in nature, was very much a problem in many of the cities, not helped by American drug runners funnelling superin into the ports of the nation. Significant liberalization of the drug laws in 1969 put a major dent in the worst crime, but other problems continued, as Muslims and Hindus, Chinese and Zulus, etc., found themselves unable, or perhaps unwilling, to reconcile with each others' differences.

The police aren't as militarized in Australia than they are in Russia, or as outright Vitalistic as in America, but they do have their own serious problems, particularly with incompetence and even corruption; several major scandals have plagued the police forces of many Australian cities over the past 30 years. Some of these have included accusations of unwillingness to intervene in gang violence, taking bribe money from gang bosses, and even aiding and abetting certain criminal syndicates. But hey, it could be worse.

Economic prosperity does vary from country to country, but in Australia, if you're a citizen, chances are, your life is probably actually decent in that regard, at least. Great Britain, Ireland and Kenya are alright as well, but Zambezia, Ceylon and Jamaica have a little catching up to do, still; although it can be admitted that none of these places have nearly the insane wealth gap found in America, or the utter lack of social services in many smaller Russian towns and rural areas. But even in Australia, poverty remains a problem, especially in the Outback region, and many Aborigines in particular still have to struggle to make a basic living, and adequate social services remain difficult to come by for many. Unfortunately, only recently has Nowra finally noticed the problem. And they're still dragging their feet.

Education is compulsory in all of the Democratic Coalition states these days, and every attempt has been made to ensure as little disparity between students as possible, especially in Australia. Unfortunately, however, there have also been many problems with incompetence, and even shady backroom deals; it's also not uncommon for schools to wage a public relations "war", as it were, between them.

Outright racism is generally rare in most of these places, and some Australian local and state governments actually do have legal protections in place for minorities(specialized libel laws, etc.), as in Kenya and Jamaica. Unfortunately, however, sometimes these well-intentioned laws have been taken too far and their misuse has often resulted in quite a bit of controversy.

Media is perhaps amongst the freest in the world in the Coalition as a whole, with only Canada, New England and a few other nations rivalling them. Hate speech is outlawed, however, and can result in jail time, depending on what is said. Australian media tends to be a little extra-sensitive; even less offensive curse words are sometimes bleeped out, or replaced with *Bowdlerized counterparts, and they are generally afraid to discuss domestic problems in general; because of this, there are many who complain about "political correctness" these days. But then again, most people do recognize that it is a far less.....dystopian.....situation than in America, for sure.

Honestly, the most significant problem with Australian politics is, Nowra never really seems to get much done these days; so much of Parliament's time often consists of arguments and other needless prattle, that it's become almost a comedy routine of sorts. And there's so many different parties nowadays that it's hard to keep track of them all.

The Democratic Coalition has been through some trying times as of late; radical *Islamist nationalists in Kenya, Blackwoodite fanatics in Britain, extreme right-wing Protestant groups in Ireland, and the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging in Zambezia and South Africa have all been causing headaches, as well as the fact that American organized crime outfits have continued to exploit inner-city ethnic divisions. Although some progress has been made in recent years, there are increasing rumors that corruption and graft may have infected the highest levels of not just the Australian government, but that of several other of the Coalition nations as well. And it hasn't helped things that the Russians are also still sticking their fingers in their pie, too, what with the latest military coup in Indonesia and all.

Whatever the case, many in the Democratic Coalition are beginning to hunker down and hope that the Second Great War doesn't come, and ultimately lead to the complete annihilation of civilization....."

The immediate post Great War proved to be a real challenge for the German Empire and its associates; the age of the old empires was slowly passing into the history books. Realizing the trends emerging before them, the Germans sought to build a more equalized sphere of influence. The Greater European Economic Union, however, ended up becoming a bit of a hindrance to these plans, as many of the Eastern European states chafed under Frankfurt's increasing domination. Poland, in particular, became so annoyed by Germany's shenanigans that by the late 1940s they ended up leaving the G.E.E.U., and turning towards Russia for guidance; they would eventually become a full satellite of the Eurasian bloc by the middle Sixties.

Realizing their initial mistakes, the Germans sought to engage in some genuine dialogue with their clients, Hungary, Denmark, and Croatia in particular. And in doing this, the European Community was officially created in 1952, with Germany, Hungary, and Croatia as the founding members; North Italy joined in 1956, Aragon in 1959, Aquitaine in 1962, Geneva in 1963, and Castille & Denmark in 1966.

The European Community has had to do a rather delicate balancing act over the past few years; many in the E.C. are unwilling to put up with American extreme racism and Vitalism, but neither are they terribly tolerant of Russian cultural chauvinism either.

It was during the Fifties that Frankfurt turned to a seemingly convenient, yet highly shrewd move; armed neutrality, siding with neither of the two blocs surrounding them, but allowing corporations to do business with both.

In all honesty, the E.C., is, more than anything, rather business driven. Whatever gets them the most profit and produces the least P.R. damage, is what gets done. While this has sometimes led to surprisingly decent outcomes, it's also led to some not-so-good things happening; sometimes both at the same time. For example, during the late '50s, early '60s, Germany allowed American companies extensive access to the mineral resources of the Congo, in exchange for promising to lessen their harassment of the surrounding regions. Unfortunately, the downside was, that American corporate abuses, including even up to actually enslaving the locals and shipping them back home, have sometimes been overlooked; only in the most recent of times have these abuses been more thoroughly investigated, after years of public protestations. But on the flip side, the gamble did pay off to some extent as the Americans were no longer causing quite so much trouble in central Africa(with the exception of Liberia, whom many in Columbia despise with a burning passion).

The E.C. is also a significant exporter of many different types of consumer goods, including automobiles(no longer called horsts, due to the extreme rarity of steam-driven vehicles in this era). In fact, German automobiles have actually enjoyed some success in the U.S., as domestic quality automobiles, other than super-utilitarian economy cars, or highly expensive luxury models, are hard to find in that country, thanks in at least a good part to the prevalence of slave labour in industry [readers may find that the automotive dilemma described here, is similar, in some ways, to what unfolded in our world's China in particular; this is not entirely coincidental.]. In fact, even some of the elite and police have taken a liking to German models. Many of these same vehicles have also enjoyed success in the Coalition and the Russian bloc as well, including the luxury models.

Society will vary from nation to nation, but every country has it's issues. Unfortunately, Germany does have a serious corruption problem, especially in the major cities; both American gangsters and Russian syndicates have exerted their own influence in various areas and gunfights that can involve a whole city block or two have sometimes broken out; one particularly nasty incident in Hamburg in 1973 resulted in over 150 dead, and required assistance from the Wehrmacht to restore order.

Most of the Romani people, outside of the former French states and Hungary, left for Russia or the Coalition during the '50s after a number of race riots occurred, particularly in Germany itself. The Jewish population, on the other hand, has enjoyed equal status for quite a while, even before the Great War in some places, such as Germany and Denmark. The German Congo isn't exactly all that nice a place to live, but Congolese in Germany, at least, rarely face any serious prejudice, however.

The European Community has tried to maintain it's neutrality but as the American government has become ever the more repugnant, they are steadily drifting towards permanently repairing their relationship with Russia, and the Coalition as well.

New England had a rough first decade after the Great War, and during the Abbard years, there was much in the way of introspection and societal reconstruction in the country, as some had predicted. Most of the few Vitalists who had remained fled to the United States; the others were shunned and even disfranchised, both legally, and socially. During the last years of Abbard's term, the country chose to become an immigrant's Mecca, even taking in American dissidents and Russian bohemians, as cities like New York, Newark, Vineland, Boston, Portland, Halifax, Fredericton and Hartford swelled up with many a hopeful immigrant from across the world.

New England had strongly considered joining the Coalition, but the events of October, 1956, put an end to that; President Jonathan Saltonstall had to decline membership afterwards, for fear that the Americans would destroy his country, but Hartford chose to remain friendly with them, even if they were now officially neutral.

Society in New England, truly has improved. The country has a strong middle class, and there is no real issue with racial exclusion, as there are people of many different ethnic groups amongst them. Classism does remain a problem but it too, has been slowly weakening over the years.

Also, as a direct result of their turn away from Vitalism, the Yankees have become far looser and more light-hearted over the past half-century; it's not uncommon for media to venture into some rather....interesting subjects, and there's very little real complaining amongst most people, with the exception of a few old guard conservatives.....and, to the horror of the American establishment, much of this media is becoming more and more accessible in the U.S. border states. Really, about the only things considered truly obscene in today's New England are racism and misogyny(and the reverse of the latter as well), and those are pretty heavily regulated.

Prostitution is pretty rare, but is quite legal in N.E.; as a result, sex workers enjoy much better protections than they would in the underground sex trades of certainly America, and even Russia. Marijuana, prohibited federally in the Mullins years, became totally legal in the late '50s, (just as American drug laws started to become extremely harsh, too) and does remain a popular alternative to tobacco.

In general, New England is a far better place to live than the U.S., by a long shot. The country's biggest problem at this point, is trying to keep a good eye on the neo-Vitalist terror cells which have managed to pop up from time to time in the country, some of them directly supported by the Americans. But the authorities have gotten better at dealing with them and are slowly turning the tide on the "War of Bigotry", as some pundits call it.

Canada, too, had a rough time getting their own country put back together. But in 1939, the Canadians finally did get their country back on track and the new Republican state, the Confederation of Canada, was born, it's capital in Bealeton, Manitoba.

As with the Yankees, the Canadians, too, experienced a truly fascinating change in culture. With the old Royalists either gone or in hiding, the Canadians rebuilt their country almost totally from the ground up. But to do that, they realized that they might need to open their door to immigrants again. And, as with New England, many immigrants did come to Canada, even from exotic places such as Brazil, Argentina, and Ceylon. And by the end of the 1960s, Canada had almost 40 million people, perhaps as many as 8 million having been foreign born(including hundreds of thousands of Americans), and not even counting their children.

Canadian media has also undergone it's own libertine transformation; there are many *movies and television shows whose content would be considered controversial in Europe, or even outright banned in America; but that hasn't stopped media stations in the Prairies or Wisconsin from blasting raucous music or flashy television shows over the airwaves of underground "pirate" outfits, especially in the border states; in New Caledonia and Alaska in particular, they have become almost impossible to intercept in recent years.

Hemp is damn near ubiquitous these days and grows just about everywhere it can, really; it became an essential part of the Canadian diet during the '50s after American food imports came to a screeching halt; it remains that way even today. It's twin, marijuana, has been legal everywhere since the '40s, and it's not uncommon for Canadian "dope runners" to try to give some more fortunate Americans a taste of the plant; Bealeton essentially turns a complete blind eye to their activities, unless innocents get killed, which does happen on rare occasions, especially during fire-fights with American authorities.

The Canadian government has also privately admitted to funding revolutionary abolitionist & feminist groups in the U.S., including some of the most extreme groups that have turned to more violent tactics.

Canada, though very much a liberal democratic nation, decided not to join the Coalition, partly out of concerns over being attacked by the Americans, but also their bad history with royalism, so they have remained neutral, as their Yankee friends; though they do maintain friendly relations with Australia and the other Coalition countries nonetheless.

The border between Canada and the U.S. remains heavily militarized and the Canadians have actually built a giant ten foot tall wall separating them and the Americans, along their entire land border(excepting only the Rockies), even up to the Arctic. However, though, this hasn't stopped American refugees from sneaking in through various makeshift tunnels underneath(or across the Mississippi, or through the Rockies); Canadian authorities are only too glad to help them out.

And because of their recent history, with the reconstruction, and all, racism and other more hardcore prejudices are not accepted in Canada, and diversity and inter-ethnic harmony are encouraged even by the government. Honestly, if there ever was a semi-perfect place in this world, Canada might just be the closest thing to that.

And the Japanese, too, are pretty much neutral, officially. But they won't do official business with the Americans these days, as they've become more amicable towards Russia and the Coalition.

Society in the country remains somewhat traditional in spots, but women can vote, and have representation in the Diet. There are few minorities in the country, but even Koreans and Muslims are generally treated decently, some prejudices notwithstanding (a Hawaii'an was elected Prime Minister in the 1960s, the first time that anyone from the Sandwich Islands had ever reached that office.).

Politics here are generally based on alliances, and there are many different parties with highly varied interests, and they often clash, and sometimes strongly; but nearly everyone, yes, even the socialists, has much respect for the figurehead Emperor, who is seen as a unifying figure.

Japan's most significant national problem has been the rise of the Yakuza, who have managed to infiltrate, or even take control of, many of the Zaibatsu corporate conglomerates.....which has led to some unfortunate corruption problems. However, though, many of the most powerful Yakuza groups are actually largely active outside the country, particularly in smuggling people out of the United States and other places. And, as such, they are usually left alone, as long as Japanese are not deliberately harmed as well.

The Japanese have been talking about forming an official Non-Aligned Pact for many years, but nothing much has really happened. But perhaps as tensions continue, it may just finally become a tangible reality. But for now, the Japanese still remain more focused on defence on their own country."

Image size
1659x856px 224.92 KB
© 2014 - 2024 RoyalPsycho
Comments12
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
grisador's avatar
How Russia manages to stay as monarchy in this kind of timeline :o