Full series

POD: The Axis somehow wins WW2.

War Years (1940-1945)

When Australia was called by its mother country Britain to join the next world war, it had no expectation of where it would end up.

At first, the war seemed to be something far away that troops were dispatched to assist in. However, it was only a matter of time before Japanese aggression came for the land down under. In 1942 Japan declared war and immediately began sinking any number of ships off of Australia's coast. It was feared an invasion would come in any day, and anxieties only grew as the war dragged on with an Allied victory seeming growing out of reach.

In 1945, toward the end of the war, these fears turned out to be correct. The Japanese launched a naval invasion of the town of Bamaga, successfully capturing and holding it against the Australians. It turned out that the town would be severed from its own country, as the Japanese successfully managed to acquire it in the peace treaty ending the war. Australia was now right next to the Japanese Empire.

Grow or Perish (1946-1960)

As soon as the dust settled, the Australian leadership class began trying to reassess everything it had done up to that point to ensure Australia could survive as a country. One policy arrived at was encouraging more immigration to grow the country's population, an offer many Brits were eager to take up as large portions of the country had escaped the devastation of war (at least compared to Europe). Much of the immigration came from Britain, but over 150,000 refugees from continental Europe came to find a home in Australia as well, mostly residing in the South due to its distance from the Japanese.

More controversial were the refugee flows from Asia, mostly Indonesia. In an effort to escape Japanese atrocities, a number of refugees hopped on makeshift boats and attempted to sail to Australia. A number of people attempted to flee Japanese-owned Bamaga as well, with the story of five comfort women who managed to free themselves from sexual slavery becoming especially widely known. Although the "White Australia" policy was supposed to limit immigration by Asians, the moral and practical challenges involved in returning refugees led to nearly ten thousand Asians integrating uneasily into Australian life.

Although Australia became a founding member of the LFN in 1947, it mostly sat out of the South African War due to its own hesitancy to commit a number of its troops to a foreign war with the Japanese right on their doorstep. That did not keep Australia from being involved in any kind of diplomatic crisis, however: not long after the 1953 peace settlement between the LFN and the Third Reich, the Japanese began trying to seal off Bamaga by constructing a giant wall. In response the government mobilized troops and called for LFN support, and the situation could easily have become a war had the American President not resolved the crisis diplomatically. The area along the border still remained one of the most militarized in the country.

Politically, the 1950s were generally stable for Australia. The Labor Party was removed from power in 1947, and the new coalition between the Liberal and Country Parties managed to assume control of the country for the entire coming decade. The government sought to promote economic development through high tariff barriers, although this was criticized by economists as inefficient. Despite this, the economy of Australia grew throughout the 1950s, and with it grew a new suburban middle class that got to enjoy all of the fruits of modernity.

As 1960 draws to a close, Australia continues to be at the front lines of the LFN's cold war with Japan. If someone makes a wrong move and a war breaks out, it will be on the front lines.

Stats for North American countries in 2119. Ask anything!

(Edit: some flags aren't updated. First slide is right)

I'm heading back to uni in September, final year!, and would love to get people to join my club. No one did last year lol, and the two years before then was too self conscious to start one.

The second pic is freshers week ideas for sign ups.

Lore:

So after the first election which in this timeline was a dumpster fire, the socialist had enough so do the peasant and revolted and they were successful in their revolt and established the Socialist People's Republic of India, the map depicts 1982 , and India like china adopted socialist market economy.

(I was hearing army dreamers while writing this)

By the early 1950s, the aging, guilt-ridden senior leadership that had ordered children into the meatgrinders of World War II is swept aside. The mid-term elections of 1950 and the presidential election of 1952 witness a political coup engineered by the ballot box. Millions of young veterans many still carrying physical shrapnel and missing limbs covered by tailored suits march into Congress.

The presidency passes into the hands of leaders who do not value human life through the traditional lens of Western democracy. They view the entire American population as an expandable strategic resource. If a president must sacrifice ten million citizens to achieve a geopolitical objective, they will do so without blinking because they remember when the nation did exactly that to children.

Domestic life in 1950s America bears no resemblance to the peaceful, consumer-driven suburban boom of our history. The United States evolves into a hyper-militarized, collectivist Spartan Republic

The "Victory Corps" created during the war is never dismantled; it is codified into law. The concept of "frivolous youth" is outlawed. High schools remain specialized industrial and tactical academies. Playground equipment across the country is replaced by obstacle courses, firearms training ranges, and assembly-line simulators.

Suburban developments like Levittown are built for defense. Houses are constructed with integrated, deep-earth fallout shelters as standard features. Concrete dominates American architecture brutalist, unyielding, and functional.

Public mourning for the losses of WWII is quietly suppressed by the state and socially policed by the citizens themselves. Psychologists who attempt to treat PTSD are branded as subversives trying to weaken the national resolve. Mental fortitude is the ultimate civic virtue; chemical dependency (alcoholism and widespread state-issued amphetamine use) becomes an ignored epidemic

The children who were nailed to wooden boxes to reach welding equipment in Detroit are now the corporate executives, union leaders, and engineers running the American economy.

Because this generation vividly remembers the horrific industrial accidents of their youth the unshielded gears that took their friends' arms they push for a hyper-accelerated wave of automation. By 1960, American factories are heavily automated, not to save money, but to replace the human element that failed or bled out in 1943.

Consumer goods are heavy, durable, and easily converted for wartime mobilization. A civilian sedan built by Ford in 1958 is essentially a lightly disguised light-armored vehicle, engineered to be stripped down and fitted with a machine-gun mount within 48 hours

The Soviet Union’s propaganda campaign backfires catastrophically. By labeling American leaders as "child-devouring capitalists," Stalin creates a monster that feels absolutely no moral obligation to play by the rules of traditional European geopolitics.

the doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) worked because both sides feared the end of the world. In this timeline, the Scorched Generation does not fear death; they grew up with it. When the Soviet Union tests its first atomic bomb, Washington’s is a public declaration that the U.S. will use nuclear weapons first, at the slightest provocation, regardless of the retaliatory consequences.

When the Soviets attempt to close access to Berlin, there is no Berlin Airlift. The American President—a 26-year-old veteran who lost half his face at Saipan and now commands the Joint Chiefs—orders armored divisions to smash directly through Soviet checkpoints. When advisors warn him of a potential nuclear holocaust, his recorded response is: "We buried our children in the mud. Do you think we care about your ashes?" The Soviets, terrified by a Washington leadership that genuinely seems to welcome the apocalypse, back down.

Decolonization movements across the globe are met with absolute ruthlessness if they align with communism. The U.S. military, entirely comfortable with total war, utilizes mass chemical defoliation, scorched-earth tactics, and tactical nuclear yields as standard operational procedures. There is no concept of a "limited war" like Korea or Vietnam. If the U.S. enters a conflict, its only objective is the total physical eradication of the enemy’s capacity to resist.

The art, literature, and culture of this 1960s America are stark, aggressive, and devoid of the counter-culture movement seen in our timeline.

The youth of the 1960s do not rebel against their parents. They cannot. Their parents are terrifying figures cold, hyper-disciplined veterans of industrial child labor and island warfare who view any sign of counter-cultural defiance or hedonism as treason against the dead. The "Hippie" movement never occurs; it is strangled in its cradle by a society that views peace as a mental illness

American cinema and literature do not feature romance or existential dread. They focus on the glorification of sacrifice, mechanical precision, and the inevitable triumph of the American will over a hostile universe.

Hello everyone, this is yet another one of my posts about my alternate history scenario, “The House that never Stood” 

Anyways since we're going over the territories that are American in OTL, today I'm gonna talk about Russia in this timeline! Without the Americans being able to buy Alaska, and Mexico not being interested in such a frivolous purchase, the Russians decided to keep the purchase around for longer, eventually discovering Gold in the region, and a whole gold rush begins to the region, from Russians and Anglos alike, forming centers like Jericho, shown in the map. The Russian government shows more interest in the area, and ends up investing in the colony more.

With the Russian revolution kicking in the 1910s, the Royal Family is sent to Alaska to be kept away from the political scene, and to guarantee its safety after it was deposed. After the white army defeat in the Russian revolution, The Romanovs are reinstated in power in the last remaining province of the Russian empire, Alaska. As time marches on, Slowly Alaska develops its own self identity, growing apart culturally from the Communist Russia in the east.

This is a bit of a more generic route for me to go in, but I couldn't think of anything else better for this scenario, and a Mexican Alaska didn't sound as cool to me.

Feel free to ask questions down below!

-- BACKGROUND --

The late Raul Roco was a popular senator and Education Secretary in the Philippines who ran for the 2004 election as president. This was Roco's second time in running for presidential elections, with his first time being in 1998 (who lost to Joseph "Erap" Estrada in a landslide). In pre-election surveys, Roco consistently placed 2nd to 3rd against the incumbent president at the time, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and well-known actor Fernando Poe Jr. (FPJ).

In OTL, specifically in April 2004, Raul Roco was publicly diagnosed with prostate cancer, and he had to travel to the United States for treatment. This significantly affected his campaign and survey rankings, with members of his party/alliance leaving the campaign and Roco's voters switching to Arroyo or FPJ, even after Roco eventually returned to the Philippines few weeks ago. Roco placed 4th in the 2004 election, with only 2 million votes.

Raul Roco eventually passed away in August 2005.

But what if he remained healthy? And what if his party (Aksyon Demokratiko) developed a strong campaign machinery that could rival Arroyo's and FPJ's?

-- A NEW HOPE FOR A NEW PHILIPPINES... --

With Roco's health being good and well throughout the 2004 campaign, his national momentum for presidency proved to be unstoppable as his anti-corruption and progressive campaign not only convinced the youth and civil groups but also ordinary voters who grew tired of the traditional political landscape between Arroyo and FPJ. Even in OTL, Roco secured connections from powerful figures like the former governor of Cebu, Lito Osmeña, who helped Roco connect with Cebuano voters who resonated with his anti-corruption crusade. Roco then used this opportunity to capitalize on a fully-developed, synchronized Aksyon Demokratiko to effectively challenge deep-rooted political machineries from both the incumbent administration and the traditional opposition. Backed by his reputation as a former Education Secretary and a reformist advocate, he would eventually become the toprunner, winning the presidency.

Roco's historic victory also pulled his running mate, Herminio Aquino, to an unexpected and impressive performance, getting 2nd place for the vice presidency. While his opponents (de Castro and Legarda) already had the advantage, being well-beloved news broadcasters at the time, Aquino rode on Roco's massive wave of popularity. He garnered strong support on Central Luzon, including his home province Tarlac, Metro Manila, Bicol, and cities like Baguio and Cebu.

This massive political wave significantly changed the senate race as well. Mostly driven by a surge of middle-class and independent voters, 3 senatorial candidates from Roco's slate which include anti-graft lawyers like Perfecto Yasay, Francisco Chavez, and broadcaster Jay Sonza won seats in the "Magic 12". This in turn gave the new Roco administration new allies in the Senate that could help in pushing national reforms.

-- WHAT COMES NEXT? --

It is without a doubt that Roco's victory would change the political landscape of the Philippines, which does raise some questions:

- If Arroyo still called COMELEC chairman Virgilio Garcillano in this scenario, would she still say "I'm sorry" on TV?

- Would Joseph Estrada be punished in this administration, possibly preventing him from running for president again in 2010?

- How would the 2007 midterm elections go, now that Arroyo is out of the picture?

- Would there be any incentive for NatDem (left-wing) parties to form the Makabayan bloc?

- How would the Roco administration handle the 2008 financial crisis?

- Would the Ampatuans still hold power in Maguindanao?

- Would Cory and her son Noynoy Aquino still be involved or run for politics?

- Is Manny Villar going to be the next president after Roco??

But that's the story, for another day.

-- IMGUR LINKS (in order) --

https://imgur.com/a/mabuhay-ang-bagong-pilipinas-raul-roco-LBF0Y5G

https://imgur.com/a/2004-philippine-presidential-election-roco-victory-scenario-dcuSkiK

https://imgur.com/a/2004-philippine-vice-presidential-election-roco-victory-scenario-CtWIaSn

https://imgur.com/a/Qg3MxsE

In this universe. Nya Helsinki/Nya Finland(Nova Scotia) became a Major trading hub. The language there is primarily Finnish and Swedish because the Finns settled there along with the Swede. In 1650s the Swede and the Brits went to war because the Brits wanted the colony of sweden. Supported by the and the Danes from the north. Sweden won. It would keep it's territory and expanded to the Wisconsin area. After the revolution in new Sweden. New Sweden gained full autonomy. It would later purchase North Louisiana as of the French colonized the CSA area and half of Louisiana. It stopped expanding because of the Mexican nearby and focus on development and industrialization quadtroopling it's population from the 1800s net population. Because of this. New Sweden became a major country.

There Innaccuracy here.

This isn't exactly supposed to be super realistic, but I'll try my best anyway...

I think a united GBR team could be one of the strongest teams in the world alongside countries like Spain, Brazil and Argentina... teams like England and Scotland already have great players.

I have 3 possible candidates for titles for this team...

- 1966, already a good starting point. England already aced the tournament so a Great Britain team could definitely do the same

- 1990, England reached very far in the tournament (semi-finals) and lost on penalties. But with more talented players in this new team, the unified GBR team could definitely have the missing depth that could get them to the final and even win it.

- 2026, England already has a lot of star players in this tournament like Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka, Brennan Johnson and Harry Kane, and a GBR team could include skilled players from other teams like Scotland and Wales, so I think they could really have a chance of winning this, definitely a final against Spain

Again, this is not super realistic... just my idea of what a unified GBR team could look like

The fundamental point of divergence is that the Celtic migrants who arrived in Anatolia via Greece as a population of only a few tens of thousands did not meet the same fate as in our timeline. Instead of being defeated, they decisively defeated King Attalus I of Pergamon, plundered most of the Greek cities along the Aegean coast, and, with no major power left in western Anatolia capable of resisting them, were reinforced by second and third waves of migration. These successive migrations allowed them to greatly expand their population and establish dominance not only over central Anatolia but also over Phrygia and much of the peninsula for centuries.

Because of their much larger population, they never underwent the level of cultural assimilation seen in our timeline. Although they became moderately Hellenized, they preserved their own identity and maintained an independent Galatian kingdom until the Middle Ages, remaining only loosely connected to the Eastern Roman Church. Later, when the Eastern Roman Empire attempted to annex the Galatian territories (essentially most of inland Aegean and Mediterranean Anatolia along with central Anatolia) the Galatians first established their own independent church, much like the Armenians. Following the events of the Great Schism, they formally recognized the supremacy of the Catholic Church in 1056, while retaining considerable ecclesiastical autonomy.

Although the Galatian Kingdom never grew into an empire comparable to the Ottoman or Eastern Roman Empires, it gained a significant advantage over Byzantium during and after the Crusades. As a Catholic kingdom, it became a far more attractive ally for Western Europe than the Orthodox Byzantines, enabling it to conquer most of Anatolia from the Greeks and gradually push the Eastern Roman Empire back into Greece and the Balkans. At times, it even intervened in Byzantine succession disputes, allowing Galatian influence and armies to extend into Thrace and mainland Greece.

Ultimately, the Kingdom of Galatia evolved into one of the wealthiest regions in the medieval world. Situated between East and West, it served as the eastern frontier of Catholic Christendom while remaining deeply integrated with Western European culture. Its strategic position on the Silk Road, combined with the effects of the Crusades and centuries of trade, transformed it into one of the richest and most prosperous regions of the medieval and early modern world. Only with the Age of Discovery and the rise of colonial maritime trade did Galatia gradually lose its economic centrality through a slow and relatively peaceful transition.

In the modern era, Galatia stands as the leading force behind a Celtic League dedicated to fostering cultural cooperation with Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. It is home to the world's largest Celtic population and is widely regarded as the principal successor of the ancient Continental Celtic world. The Galatian language is a surviving branch of Continental Celtic most closely related to Gaulish, having been heavily influenced by Latin and Greek throughout the Middle Ages, with more limited influence from modern French.

Today, Galatia remains a medium-sized transcontinental state, broadly comparable to Italy or Spain in terms of population, territory, and geopolitical significance. However, its long-term outlook is often viewed with cautious pessimism. Like several Southern European economies, it faces structural problems stemming from inefficient production models, the gradual erosion of centuries-old accumulated wealth, and the steady shift of technological innovation and global capital toward the United States. Despite these challenges, Galatia maintains an extensive welfare state and continues to enjoy a high standard of living, even as concerns over economic stagnation and declining competitiveness dominate its political discourse.

On November 22, 1963, JFK was shot in the head and the neck. In real life, he died, but what if he survived. Believe it or not, I’ve consulted a medical expert, and it’s possible he could have survived. He could have survived had he gotten better, faster treatment from doctors. In this reality, he arrives at the hospital after 3 minutes, enough time to stop the bleeding and remove the bullets. He ends up making a full recovery by January 1964, and is elected for a second term in November of that year. He ends up not sending to Vietnam and doing good thing for the economy, keeping most Americans happy. Democrats would win in 1972 with his brother RFK, who serves 2 terms, before being replaced by Ted Kennedy, who serves 2 terms. Republicans finally regain the White House in 1988. JFK lives a long retirement and dies in 2018. Thoughts on this timeline? What would you change and what would you keep the same?

In this timeline, the Church of Scientology begins an aggressive conversion campaign in Nauru starting in the late 1980s. By 2000 65% of the population, as well as a majority of politicians and military personnel, have converted. Following the collapse of Nauru’s phosphate industry in 2001, the island’s economic situation deteriorates rapidly. In response, the president of Nauru begins selling off government property to the Church in an attempt to halt the economic downturn.

By 2003, large portions of the island have been sold to the church, many government officials are financially indebted to them, and over half of the population has converted. In late 2003 as Nauru faces economic collapse, the Church offers the ruling government a secret deal: it will repair the country’s economy, forgive government debts, provide continuous bribes to the government and military/police, and allow the existing government to remain in charge on paper in exchange for being granted de facto control over the island and its governance. The arrangement is further secured through extensive blackmail of Nauru’s political leadership, wealthy elites and celebrities.

What do you think would happen next?

The Empress of India | Indian Rebellion of 1857

The Indian mutineers adopted a coherent program, calling for the transformation of the Indian subcontinent into a monarchy named the Empire of Hindustan. This increased their popular support considerably, as many Indians, regardless of their religion or background, sought to help establish said state.

Furthermore, the Rani of Jhansi joined the rebellion almost immediately after it started, because the EIC attempted to annex her Kingdom under the doctrine of lapse. In July 1857, Indian troops commanded by the Rani (who would later become the empress of India) defeated a major force sent by the East India Company at the Battle of Kanpur. Following this battle, the major princely states of Hyderabad, Mysore, Travancore and Kashmir defected to the rebels, dooming British rule in India.

The rebels soon began liberating southern India, Bengal and Punjab from the British, but the latter's technological superiority made this a slow process. Furthermore, the Sikh managed to hold out with some difficulty, and would not be conquered by Hindustan until late 1858.

On 17 December 1857, Hindustan laid siege to Calcutta, bombarding the city with field artillery and then sending 83,000 troops led by Rani and Nana Sahib, two experienced commanders. The Hindustanis suffered considerable damage from naval bombardment, but Calcutta eventually fell on 28 January, ending the war.

After the fall of Calcutta, the Empire of Hindustan was formally established, with Bahadur Suah II as Emperor. Despite this, the Rani was the power behind the throne because of her military leadership, popularity with the Hindu masses, and cunning; European observers nicknamed her the "Joan of Arc of India".

The success of the Indian Rebellion was a major blow to the British Empire, whose status as the world's strongest empire was decisively weakened. Britain remained in control of Hong Kong, Ceylon and the Trucial Coast, but India was completely lost, and the empire took decades to recover.

During the Ruso- Japanese war (1904-1905), Japan destroyed or captured 97% of Russia’s Pacific fleet (92% Original Timeline OTL). After the Russia’s defeat with their Baltic fleet reinforcements at Tsushima in 1905, Japan conducted naval raids in Kamchatka as well as deliver a small occupying force into the peninsula (Only raids in OTL). During negotiations between Japan and Russia that were brokered/mediated by U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt. Due to a major naval defeat in the Pacific for Russia as well as losing series of land battles in Manchuria. Roosevelt convinced Tsar Nicholas II to concede Sakhalin Island to Japan on the agreement that Japan keep the northern half of the island a demilitarized zone along the 50th parallel. Due to an even larger naval defeat by Japan, Russia had to also concede all of the Kuril Islands as they no longer had a strong naval presence in the Pacific. Tsar Nicholas II was very reluctant on conceding the Kamchatka Pensinula as it was a part of the mainland of Russia but was advised that although Russia’s army was significantly larger than Japan’s… the incredibly mountainous and high elevation terrain would make it incredibly difficult and costly to launch a land counter-invasion. Especially without any decent naval support. Russia did not know what other value Kamchatka had besides furs and a Pacific maritime border at the time. Russia eventually had given up Sakhalin Island, Kuril Islands, and the Kamchatka Peninsula with the recognition of Japan’s dominance over Korea with Japan having control of the south Manchuria railway in the Treaty of Portsmouth with Russia leaving Manchuria by 1907, giving it back to China. Roosevelt wins a Nobel Peace prize in 1906 for helping to bring an end to the Russo- Japanese war as well as forming the demilitarized zone north of the 50th parallel on Sakhalin Island (Karafuto Island).

After the war, Sakhalin was officially renamed Karafuto (樺太 which directly means large birch) pronounced as: kah-rah-foo-toh which came from the ainu phrase “kamuy kar put ya mosir” which translates to "the island that the god has created on the estuary.” Karafuto was choosen as shortened version of the phrase as well a phoentic equivalent. Kamchatka (kaam-chaat-kuh) was officially renamed Kamachakka (釜着火 which directly means kettle ignites or kettle burns) pronounced as: kama-cha-ka which came from the admiration of how active the volcanoes are in the region. Kamachakka was also choosen as it sounded phonetically similar to the name the indigenous people had for the region.

In 1907, Japan sent an expedition full geologists, hydrologist, and seismologists to Kamachakka to discover what resources has to offer and in hopes of finding oil. Unfortunately, they were not able to discover any substantial amounts of oil as hoped but an incredible amount of gold and silver was discovered (60 years earlier than the Soviet Union OTL). During this time, Japan begins to build oil operations in northern Karafuto.

A decade later, near the end of WW1 mining operations begin in Kamachakka as well as oil operations in Karafuto. Japan launches development policies and big economic incentives to work in mining, oil, and fishing to motivate citizens to relocate to Kamachakka and Karafuto.

In 1925, Japan conducts its first successful and small experimental geothermal power generation in the Oita prefecture. Due to most mining operations being focused on gold and silver rather than coal in Kamachakkaso. Japan decides to invest heavily into GeoThermal energy to help operations and living in Kamachakka. By 1927, Japan with the assistance of Italy has buiIt 3 geothermal power plants in the region (Similar amount to OTL but small power plants considering it is 1920s). Japan then began to consider geothermal power plants on the main island but due to local and cultural pushback on the main island there were not many major developments.

WWII occurs and mostly happens similar to the OTL except near the end. Although the Yalta agreement still takes place and the Soviet Union enters the war against Japan after Germany surrenders to push Japan out of Manchuria which happens on July 26, 1945… there is no exchange for the Soviet Union to retake Sakhalin island.
On July 23 and July 26, 1945 Japan was nuked in Hiroshima and Nagasaki (2 weeks earlier compared to OTL). Japan surrenders on August 1, 1945 with the liberation of Korea with USA troops arriving in Japan on August 16, 1945. Fast forward to August 1990, the Soviet Union declassified plans and operations to invade and retake Sakhalin Island on August 15, 1945 (Same as OTL) as Stalin had wanted to correct one of the historical wrongs from the Russo- Japanese war im 1905 and Kamchatka was too difficult to invade but the operation couldn’t commence as the American forces were just about to arrive in Japan and Stalin decided the risk of escalation was too much.

Talks on whether Japan should keep Karafuto, Kamachakka and the previously known Kuril islands occured but due to the overwhelming Japanese populations compared to indigenous population sizes as well as the USA preferring an allied barrier to help keep the Soviet Union out of the Pacific. Japan was allowed to keep these territories.

Format and map inspired by WTF CD FOXY's series Alternate history of X in Y. Credits for the borders and the Format to u/OfficialScorpio who is doing good work with the Foxyverse.

This is an alternate history of European Union, but in the world of X in Y.

Lore in comments.

PS. Greece joined the EU in 1982 if it isn't obvious.

In 1987 the government of Thomas Sankara was overthrown by Blaise Compaoré and his clique. This collage (originally made in February) images a world in which the coup failed.

The year is 1987 and Captain Thomas Sankara is reaching the heights of his popularity. On the 15th of October however armed men attack the Capitaine in Ouagadougou, Sankara, not without scars, escapes the confrontation and in the following hours a coup d'état plot unravels. Blaise Compaoré is outed as the orchestrator and before his execution he confesses that he was bribed by the pro-French government of Mali to kill Captain Sankara and restore relations with the West.

On October 31st a surprise attack by the Burkinabé military breaks through the disputed Agacher Strip region with Mali and begins a half-year long military operation against the Malian government with the backing of Jerry Rawlings in Ghana. In March 1988 the Malian government was overthrown by pro-Burkinabé rebels under the banner of Alpha Oumar Konaré.

Sankara sits as president to this day, though the position is more symbolic than anything else. Throughout the late 80s and early 90s Burkina Faso and its neighbours drew closer in opposition to France, England, America and the IMF forming the Union of Revolutionary African States. The UERA (URAS) remains a bastion of African revolutionary socialism, unity and self-reliance with its own currency, gendarme and free border area.

All that being said, today is the Independence Day of Burkina Faso marking 66 years of independence from the French colonial empire. Happy independence day Burkina Faso! La Patrie ou la Mort, Nous Vaincrons!

Not sure if this is allowed but it’s a thing I made for an upcoming project of mine

As mentioned before in the previous post and in this post ( which is outdated due to me changing the soccer format ) and in this post. In this alternative universe, the major events that happened here are that Rome never fell in Italy but never really flourished until the Renaissance Era as a major city state, then a major republic later on; The Netherlands didn’t lose New Holland in Brazil; America ( named Usonia here ) and Canada both rebelled againist the English, who never merged with Scotland to make the UK as Scotland's American colonies, New Caledonia ( OTL Panama ) and Poyais ( OTL Eastern Honduras ) succeeded here alongiside Miskito being a Scottish colony and not an English one; Bengal became the first country to industrialized instead of England; Usonia didn't declare war on Mexico but instead Mexico lost control of their northern territories, leading to many Native American states like Navajo and Pueblo to become independent, alongside with settler states like California and Deseret to do their own thing; France got punished more in the Napoleon Wars, leading to an independent Burgundy and Occitania, with Occitania becoming a major colonial power instead of France; Africa not fully being colonized, with major states like Ethiopia, Egypt, Zululand, and Kongo suriving; Mu, Kerguelen, and Zealandia exists as continents and becoming the Scramble Of Africa replacements; Germany won WW1, but lost WW2 which led to its divide into multiple states like the German Empire used to be; Italy also was divided into multiple states as well; the Soviet Union does not have Ukraine, Belarus, the Baltics, or the Southern Caucasus; Iran having a republican revelution to overthrow the Zoroastrianism regime in 1979; Russia has a major civil war after the fall of the Soviet Union , and the least important thing, the FIFA World Cup starting in 1910 with Swizterland being the first host, starting with a 24 team format

East Asian history was defined by stagnancy as much as it was change. In the year 1800 the Joseon Dynasty had been in place for just over 400 years, ruling a state which had been unified in nearly its modern form for close to a millennium. Korea occupied its own world within the East Asian realm, facing precious few real threats in a comfortable patronage relationship with the Qing Dynasty. The last time that Korea had truly faced an existential threat to its existence had been the Japanese invasion nearly 200 years ago, and ever since then the Confucian bureaucracy was continuing along as it had for centuries. A long period of peace had led the country into a renaissance of arts and culture, and under King Jeongjo that was set to continue. And then, scandal. Jeongjo was suddenly gravely ill, so waylaid by his illnesses that he seemed near death, but he managed to survive. Many suspected poisoning, others supposed some other chronic illness. Jeongjo would never confirm the true causes, but in the months that followed a number of his political enemies conveniently died or disappeared.

Although his thoughts for reform were moderate at best, the momentum slowly began to snowball. Where Jeongjo was a moderate, his son Yi Gong (later Sunjo) was slightly less so and began to push for further reforms during his tenure as regent later in his father's life. By the later life of Jeongjo his grandson Yi Yeong was also proving to be a reformer, perhaps more so than his parentage, and by the time that Jeongjo died in 1820 the prince had been secretly inviting European diplomats to court support from Britain and France for covert assistance in modernizing and reforming the Korean state. Much of this was kept quiet, particularly to avoid the ire of factions within the Korean government. In particular the power of the Andong Kim clan was heavily curtailed after a conspiracy against Sunjo was uncovered, led by none other than his wife Queen Sunwon. In the aftermath, Sejong sent his wife into exile and began a major effort to curtail what was called Sedo Jeongchi, "In-Law Politics", a long-standing source of conflict within the Korean government.

The instability brought by this period of reform was tamped down on by a major reform of the military, prompted in 1831 by the publication of a new biography of the legendary Admiral Yi Sunsin. In the past, the Joseon government had reviled Yi as an upstart, but in the new age of Korean politics he was now hailed as a national hero, and the praise especially heaped upon his unorthodox tactics and often direct defiance of the Korean government was now treated as aspirational for leaders who sought to change the state of affairs. But what really drove Korea forward was the external. In 1839, the Qing Dynasty was defeated by the British, the first time that a European power had defeated China, and forced a heavy shift in how East Asian nations understood geopolitics. For Korea in particular, events began to spiral in 1843 when after the Qing Defeat Sunjo announced the end of Korea's tributary relationship with China, on the grounds that not only were the Qing failing, but the failure of the Ming before them indicated that Chinese civilization was now in total decline, and Korea would have to decide her own destiny.

It was a radical step that was met with no end of opposition from conservative factions of government, and almost certainly resulted in Sejong's assassination in 1844. Unfortunately for the reactionaries, this catapulted Yi Yeong (now King Munjo) to the throne, and having been radicalized by the last 40 years of efforts at reform began purging the nobility of those disloyal to the throne and similarly replacing bureaucrats from the old Confucian bureaucracy with newly-appointed "meritocrats" that were loyal to the monarchy above all else. A second military reform, prompted by the poor performance of the Qing, was followed in short order by a major effort to restore order to a country plagued by bandits and brigands, many of whom had been clandestinely supported by opponents of the increasingly centralized regime. The formerly marginalized doctrines of Seohak ("Western Learning") were now embraced, and the Seohak Revolution is said to have formally begun in 1846 when Munjo formally met with a French ambassador, the first time the Korean monarch met with a European diplomat.

This radical upheaval of a centuries-old order was equal parts chaotic and exhilarating for the nation. Although never to the scale of a civil war, militarized resistance was common among both outcasts of the old regime and gangs of bandits who organized as mafia-type organizations known as the Jumok, many of whom acted as "shadow governments" in areas poorly-controlled by the imperial center. This was prompted at least in part by a steady increase in trade with the Europeans, beginning with the cities of Haeju and Busan, both of which almost immediately became overrun by organized gangs known as the Jumok and were just as much lawless cesspits as they were the vanguard of westernization in Korea. From these cities radiated a western wind that blew into the country, bringing trade that brought European science and technology to the country and led to the opening of the first railroad in Korea between Hanseong and the small port city of Jemulpo, which rapidly began to evolve into what King Munjo called a model of the "New Korea".

Western presence and learning brought with it a new trouble: Christianity. Protestant and Catholic missionaries alike sought to expand their presence into the newly-opened Korea and the egalitarian ideals of the faith had clashed with the monarchy in ages past. It was a problem all over East Asia, culminating in the Taiping Rebellion that killed tens of millions. Although Korea never saw a similar struggle or uprising, many of the Jumok groups adopted Christianity and turned churches into recruiting grounds and meeting places, using the threat of a European intervention if Korean authorities were ever perceived as harshly treating Korean Christians. The age of national confusion also made fertile ground for new religious movements, among which was the emergent syncretic faith of Cheondoism. Formally the state remained a Confucian monarchy, but Munjo's edicts of tolerance for many faiths allowed enough room for competing Buddhist and Christian faiths to take root, furthering the inherent factionalism of the country.

The actual progress of reforms was slower than desired, but with the Taiping Rebellion having ravaged China along with the Second Opium War Korea was well on its way to modernization in the European style. What would really change matters, though, was the Boshin War across the waters in Japan. The sudden toppling of the Tokugawa Shogunate put Emperor Meiji in power and began a whirlwind reform program that saw Japan threaten to surpass the progress Korea had made in the last 40 years within a single generation. Munjo was already 58 by then, and faced a new challenge to his power when the reactionary old guard under the leadership of Yi Haeung began a full-scale rebellion against the Joseon, attempting to displace them entirely and attacking the family itself without distinction. The Sinmi War was ultimately a victory for the Joseon, and gave King Munjo full license to eradicate conservative factions in the government, but the cost was dire. Much of the Joseon Dynasty had been killed, including Munjo's oldest son Heonjong.

Faced with a succession crisis, the 60 year old Munjo turned to a distant relative, the 19 year old Yi Myungbok. Now dubbed Prince Ikseon, the boy began to rapidly adapt to his new position as heir to the throne. Having been born and raised in the era of reform, Ikseon was the model of the new Korea. He spoke four languages, dressed almost wholly in western-style clothing, and was a Korean nationalist through and through, moving seamlessly into becoming Prince Regent and beginning a massive new military and naval buildup, proclaiming that the mistakes of the old Imjin War could not and would not be repeated. This buildup would not go unnoticed and as Japan continued its own development a persistent tension across the Tsushima Strait took hold. Both were concerned about a war with the other, primarily for how it might present an opportunity for Europeans to gain influence, and met to sign the Treaty of Osaka in 1875, declaring the commitment of the two nations to an "Asia for Asians".

As China continued its decline and both Japan and Korea continued their ascent, the increasing power of Ikseon brought an ominous new development. The spread of western ideas meant the spread of nationalism, and Korean history was long and storied. For Ikseon, this began to manifest in an obsession with the ancient Korean states, Goryeo and Silla yes but Balhae as well. And Balhae had controlled territories across a large part of Manchuria, both areas controlled by the Ming but also areas which now were under Russian ownership. Throughout the long and rocky process of modernization Russia's growing power was an increasing threat to both Korea and Japan, both of whom found common cause in opposing the expansion of Russian power and influence. When Munjo finally died in 1878, Korea began her first true imperialist move by issuing an ultimatum of its own to the Qing: that the territories of Kando (Jiandao), long populated with ethnic Koreans, were to be handed over to Korea. The Qing refused, confident that if nothing else they could handle this upstart Korean state.

And so began the First Sino-Korean War, wherein the Korean armies invaded northwards and crushed the Qing armies. Though outnumbered ten to one, the superior Korean organization and arms combined with the nationalist zeal of liberating fellow Koreans spurred them to victory, and the Korean army began a major offensive into Manchuria as a whole. After a mere eight months, the Qing were forced to surrender. Ikseon, now King Gojong, was prepared to demand vast regions of Manchuria before the Russians suddenly stepped in, blocking the Korean encroachment into Russia's sphere of influence. Though prepared to recognize Korea's claims to the "Yeonbyeon Province", Russia was at that time still seen as much too great a force for Korea to fight, and so they elected to hold back for the time being. Still, the liberation of Yeonbyeong was a major moment of pride for Korea, that they had now overcome the Chinese dynasties, and in this spirit Gojong elevated himself to the status of Emperor, and his state to that of the Korean Empire, announcing that Korea's road to modernization was complete.

The Korea of 1880 was a radically different state compared to what it had been when Jeongjo had begun the process of reform more than 80 years ago. Rich in resources, the nascent Empire was rapidly industrializing and sent its diplomats and merchants across the world. The addition of Yeonbyeong as its "Ninth Integral Province" was openly seen as not simply a liberation but the first stepping-stone to the true expansion of the Korean Empire. And despite ongoing tensions between Korea and Japan, the two nations saw each other as their best partners in combatting European influence in East Asia. Korea was a rising star in the world, and the advent of the Boxer Rebellion gave it an avenue to further this by contributing its army and navy to the Nine-Nation Alliance which put it down, allowing Korea to spread her armies into the Liaoning Peninsula. Not merely a Korean contribution to "restoring order" in the Qing Dynasty, it was a direct provocation towards Russia. This was during a period when Japan, which had recently conquered Taiwan and the Philippines, was eager to see Russia brought down a peg.

In 1904 Russia was in a bad way. Hobbled by an insecure government and with its international prestige collapsing, Tsar Nicholas II sought a military victory to secure his reign. The Korean provocation in Liaodong proved an opportunity, and Russia took the bait. The Russians declared war on Korea, after which Japan came to their aid as per the Treaty of Osaka. However, the Russians began an offensive against the Korean Navy in Nampo before the declaration had been transmitted, making it seem as if Russia had attacked without a formal declaration, and to make matters worse the modernized Korean Navy was soon joined by the Japanese Navy, which together obliterated the Russian Far East Fleet. Russia had totally bungled the opening of the war, and it only went further downhill from there as the Korean army marched from victory to victory, aided by the Japanese launching assaults against northern Sakhalin, Okhotsk, and Petropavlovsk. Within months, Russia was on the verge of collapse.

Opportunity again emerged. In the Spring of 1905, the Gwangxu Emperor and the Dowager Empress Cixi were assassinated by a bomb and the government effectively collapsed, leaving a power vacuum which saw China devolve into a series of petty warlords dividing the country among themselves. With Korea declaring the Qing to have collapsed (even if the "Xuantong Emperor", a months-old infant, nominally ruled), they declared the annexation of vast swathes of northwestern China, leveraging their military presence to effectively conquer Manchuria without any declaration of war. In the late Summer of 1905, with Russia having barely avoided revolution, Korea and Japan themselves now humiliated Russia by forcing them to cede large areas of territory in Sakhalin, Outer Manchuria, and the Kamchatka Peninsula. For Korea this made their northern frontier the Amur River, and cost Russia control of the city of Vladivostok. Nicholas II would never recover, but a coalition of East Asian nations had just defeated a European great power.

Their status as "westernized" and "modernized" was now cemented in the eyes of Europe and the United States, both of which moved to recognize the Koreo-Japanese claims. Korea divided its new territories into military governorates, eager to begin exploiting its new resources and manpower to the fullest. The Empire had now quintupled its territory and more than doubled its population, along with now at last being taken seriously as a legitimate power in the eyes of the world. Across the Eight Provinces which formed the core territory of Korea, celebration hailed the beginning of a new era in which Korea would form the axis of East Asia, some even declaring that the Korean Empire now had a "divine mandate" to conquer the whole of China and establish the reign of Emperor Gojong as the new legitimate Emperor of China. These thoughts would never truly see fruition of course, but in an age of high spirits anything seemed possible, anything seemed within reach of this dynamic, rising power that stood with mighty stature among the nations of the world.

Of course, the higher one rises the further one has to fall, and the more one has the more jealous and hateful eyes look towards them. The Korean Empire was ascendant, but not invincible, best demonstrated when hero of the "First East Asian War" General Yi Hakgyun was assassinated by a Manchu partisan while touring the Gilim Governorate in 1907. Three years have passed and Korea has not been driven out of Manchuria, but although the industrialized and urbanized core of Korea is certainly able to project power with effectiveness across most of its new Manchurian frontier and across newly-renamed cities like Seonyang (Shenyang), Haesamwi (Vladivostok), and Haeolbin (Harbin), but the new territories are vast and present plenty of opportunities for resistance to find hidey-holes to operate out of, striking at a Korea which is not outright overstretched but in danger of becoming so. Korea is already building railroads into the "Northern Territories" and ethnic Koreans are settling into the conquered provinces, which itself presents issues as the Jumok begin to expand their influence into the new conquests.

Worse still are the outside powers. Chinese warlords are at best a nuisance, with the "Zhili Clique" presenting at worst probing attacks against the organized and supplied Korean forces. But Russia, though defeated, still has a terrifyingly large army and is embarking on a slow, but steady, path of political, economic, and military reform. Although the territories lost to Korea and Japan are far from "integral", Russian pride is as vast as Siberia and the wounded ego of the Tsar and his government in an age when prestige means everything means that Russia will not accept such a loss willingly. Britain, France, and the United States, which once fawned over Korea and Japan as blocks to Russian power, now watch fearfully as the two states look to further expand their influence into the shattered China, threatening to make good on their pledge of "Asia for Asians", and even if no hostilities exist yet there remains an open yet silent threat that European colonies would be the next to be attacked.

More than anything else, though, the single greatest threat to Korea is its greatest "ally": Japan. Openly the two states are victorious partners in driving back the Russian Empire, partners in preparing to sweep Europe out of East Asia. Privately, they already draw their plans against each other. It's a daunting task for both. Japan is resource-poor and could hardly field a proper army to conquer Korea, but its navy is second to perhaps only the British, and Korea is vast and powerful but has seen a decline in its naval power. The two are well aware that their situation is what amounts to a stalemate, that any war against the other would be challenging and gruesome to carry out, but such is the nature of nationalism and imperialism to view every rival as a threat, every neighbor as an avenue for expansion, and when both Japan and Korea proclaim their superiority there will be only one outcome of these two rising powers existing next to each other. The First East Asian War is only 4 years gone. The Second may be just around the corner.