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Description

One Revolution Leads to Another:

In this world the Continental System works, at least enough to prevent Napoleon from taking such risky actions as an invasion of Spain. Spain was eventually brought into France's orbit anyway and the Napoleonic Empire survived, strong enough to keep Britain from sending forces onto the Continent and even tried to extend their influence into Spain's overseas empire.

A sort of Cold War began between Britain and France and their respective, and expanding, empires. However in the early 20th Century, after a century of repression, the French Empire began to destabilise. A socialism equivalent had begun to become very popular and had spread throughout the Napoleonic Empire despite the government's best efforts to stamp it out. It was the Germans, seeking to form a single German state, that finally began a revolution that swept through nearly the entire French Empire, turning it into the radical and autocratic Socialist Union.

The Socialist Union, despite it's name, is more of an alliance system, one of convenience in a hostile world. Despite the many different forms of radical left-wing governments that can be found in the Union it holds together, mostly through fear of the rest of the world.

The German Socialist Republic is a highly centralised and militant nation. The Germans have managed to create a fairly efficient and productive socialist state and have even constructed a computerized economy of some effectiveness, at least by the standards of current computer technology. The economy is highly scheduled and micromanaged, set to a specific list of required quotas. Germany still suffers from lethargic economic growth and the current Chancellor only just managed to arrest their economic decline with a series of reforms that allow businesses that exceed production quotas to sell produce privately, as long as they have documents to prove they produced it of course. The state surveillance system is both immense and intricate with cameras in every public space, including communal areas in residential districts, that are also equipped with speakers to broadcast government messages. Vandalism of cameras is a serious problem and entire businesses have been made on repairing and replacing damaged equipment. The reforms and general social moderation of socialism have also reduced the censorship and state mandate of culture which is boosting productivity, especially in the areas of research and development.

A major rival of the Germans within the Union is the Socialist Republic of Mexico. Mexico was the Napoleonic Empire's bulwark within the Americas and developed into a powerful state in its own right. However the corruption and repression that plagued the Napoleonic Empire also led to the collapse of the Mexican Empire. Mexico has since managed to successfully build a working socialist state of their own. The government has embraced an increasingly practical form of socialism that does allow a limited form of capitalism by entwining several re-emerging businesses, all with Party members on their boards, within the government and subjecting them to careful regulation and centralisation.

As they opposed the Napoleonic Empire before the British now oppose the Socialist Union.

Locked out of Continental Europe and facing an enormous hostile enemy, the British went on to expand their empire in order to gain greater strength against their enemies and reduce the possibilities of France expanding further. When the Napoleonic Empire collapsed the British also teetered on the brink of total revolution and fought hard to stabilise their numerous colonies. Only intense reorganisation and reform saved the British Empire and have turned it into a very different entity.

The British Imperial Federation has held together over the decades it took to transform the empire into a new entity. By now the British are no longer in charge of their own empire are now merely the host nation of the Imperial Parliament. Instead power is now spread throughout the dominions and other autonomous territories in a system that is designed to give all of the territories a say in the organisation of the Federation. Decentralisation has made the Federation rather difficult to direct in any one direction and decision making in the Imperial Parliament is a long and frustrating process. There is an Imperial Constitution that outlines certain values and rights, including those concerning race, gender and a small welfare system, that all constituents must follow but the regional constitutions often have additional rights, values and ideals that can easily complicate the political process further. The Federation's political diversity also means that it's constituents harbour different political ideas, some of them veering close to radical. The Raj is still a single entity but it's own internal organisation is just as complex as the rest of the Federation and often makes it difficult for them to harness the immense amount of economic and political power they have within the Federation.

The Imperial Federation has rallied together anti-socialist states into an alliance system of it's own, many of which were already British allies against the Napoleonic Empire. They have also incorporated several former subjects of the Napoleonic Empire. Whilst not strictly reactionary these nations are generally traditionalist in certain areas. This hasn't stopped many of them undergoing reforms similar to Britain's in order to maintain their empires or accommodate the demands of their subjects.

Russia became a power independent of the Anglo-French conflict having never been invaded by Napoleon. The French seizure of Poland spoiled any chance of partnership with the Continental System but the constant competition with the British for control of West Asia and India also poisoned their relationship with Britain. The revolution in the French Empire also destabilised Russia and led to their reformation into a new state, similar to the Imperial Federation. The Russian Empire is isolationist, only making trade deals with any power. However they refuse to make deals with the Socialist Union on principle after several instances where trade convoys led to infiltration by German agents and agitators. Russia is very conservative with a highly stratified society and an elitist government still made up mostly of the Russian aristocracy and the industrialist class. The Russian upper class is now multi-racial since the federalisation of the empire also led to the incorporation of the nobility of the various Russian subjects and the rise of an enterprising upper class from the other races. The entire edifice is still a little fragile but is still able to move with some efficiency.

Technology is at about the same level as the OTL 1970s. Despite the Cold War this world has been far less open to innovation and intellectualism, especially after the revolution claimed the Napoleonic Empire. Nuclear weapons have only recently been developed and have not yet been used as weapons in actual warfare. However all three major power blocs have large arsenals of inter-continental missiles equipped with nuclear warheads. Computers are becoming more important to this world, especially after the Germans built their own computerized economy and extensive surveillance system. Whilst primitive the major powers compensate by investing into enormous banks of computer systems, many of which are the size of buildings. These technologies are only recently becoming public consumer products and are the beginning of a recent liberalization of innovation and technological development. There was a Space Race that the Imperial Federation eventually won by successfully putting a man on the Moon and bringing him back. Satellites are now being sent up into orbit at an increasingly fast rate and the idea of weaponising them as platforms for automated missile systems is a major fear in the great powers.

Credit to Ammonoidea for the design of Russia.

Description

One Revolution Leads to Another:

In this world the Continental System works, at least enough to prevent Napoleon from taking such risky actions as an invasion of Spain. Spain was eventually brought into France's orbit anyway and the Napoleonic Empire survived, strong enough to keep Britain from sending forces onto the Continent and even tried to extend their influence into Spain's overseas empire.

A sort of Cold War began between Britain and France and their respective, and expanding, empires. However in the early 20th Century, after a century of repression, the French Empire began to destabilise. A socialism equivalent had begun to become very popular and had spread throughout the Napoleonic Empire despite the government's best efforts to stamp it out. It was the Germans, seeking to form a single German state, that finally began a revolution that swept through nearly the entire French Empire, turning it into the radical and autocratic Socialist Union.

The Socialist Union, despite it's name, is more of an alliance system, one of convenience in a hostile world. Despite the many different forms of radical left-wing governments that can be found in the Union it holds together, mostly through fear of the rest of the world.

The German Socialist Republic is a highly centralised and militant nation. The Germans have managed to create a fairly efficient and productive socialist state and have even constructed a computerized economy of some effectiveness, at least by the standards of current computer technology. The economy is highly scheduled and micromanaged, set to a specific list of required quotas. Germany still suffers from lethargic economic growth and the current Chancellor only just managed to arrest their economic decline with a series of reforms that allow businesses that exceed production quotas to sell produce privately, as long as they have documents to prove they produced it of course. The state surveillance system is both immense and intricate with cameras in every public space, including communal areas in residential districts, that are also equipped with speakers to broadcast government messages. Vandalism of cameras is a serious problem and entire businesses have been made on repairing and replacing damaged equipment. The reforms and general social moderation of socialism have also reduced the censorship and state mandate of culture which is boosting productivity, especially in the areas of research and development.

A major rival of the Germans within the Union is the Socialist Republic of Mexico. Mexico was the Napoleonic Empire's bulwark within the Americas and developed into a powerful state in its own right. However the corruption and repression that plagued the Napoleonic Empire also led to the collapse of the Mexican Empire. Mexico has since managed to successfully build a working socialist state of their own. The government has embraced an increasingly practical form of socialism that does allow a limited form of capitalism by entwining several re-emerging businesses, all with Party members on their boards, within the government and subjecting them to careful regulation and centralisation.

As they opposed the Napoleonic Empire before the British now oppose the Socialist Union.

Locked out of Continental Europe and facing an enormous hostile enemy, the British went on to expand their empire in order to gain greater strength against their enemies and reduce the possibilities of France expanding further. When the Napoleonic Empire collapsed the British also teetered on the brink of total revolution and fought hard to stabilise their numerous colonies. Only intense reorganisation and reform saved the British Empire and have turned it into a very different entity.

The British Imperial Federation has held together over the decades it took to transform the empire into a new entity. By now the British are no longer in charge of their own empire are now merely the host nation of the Imperial Parliament. Instead power is now spread throughout the dominions and other autonomous territories in a system that is designed to give all of the territories a say in the organisation of the Federation. Decentralisation has made the Federation rather difficult to direct in any one direction and decision making in the Imperial Parliament is a long and frustrating process. There is an Imperial Constitution that outlines certain values and rights, including those concerning race, gender and a small welfare system, that all constituents must follow but the regional constitutions often have additional rights, values and ideals that can easily complicate the political process further. The Federation's political diversity also means that it's constituents harbour different political ideas, some of them veering close to radical. The Raj is still a single entity but it's own internal organisation is just as complex as the rest of the Federation and often makes it difficult for them to harness the immense amount of economic and political power they have within the Federation.

The Imperial Federation has rallied together anti-socialist states into an alliance system of it's own, many of which were already British allies against the Napoleonic Empire. They have also incorporated several former subjects of the Napoleonic Empire. Whilst not strictly reactionary these nations are generally traditionalist in certain areas. This hasn't stopped many of them undergoing reforms similar to Britain's in order to maintain their empires or accommodate the demands of their subjects.

Russia became a power independent of the Anglo-French conflict having never been invaded by Napoleon. The French seizure of Poland spoiled any chance of partnership with the Continental System but the constant competition with the British for control of West Asia and India also poisoned their relationship with Britain. The revolution in the French Empire also destabilised Russia and led to their reformation into a new state, similar to the Imperial Federation. The Russian Empire is isolationist, only making trade deals with any power. However they refuse to make deals with the Socialist Union on principle after several instances where trade convoys led to infiltration by German agents and agitators. Russia is very conservative with a highly stratified society and an elitist government still made up mostly of the Russian aristocracy and the industrialist class. The Russian upper class is now multi-racial since the federalisation of the empire also led to the incorporation of the nobility of the various Russian subjects and the rise of an enterprising upper class from the other races. The entire edifice is still a little fragile but is still able to move with some efficiency.

Technology is at about the same level as the OTL 1970s. Despite the Cold War this world has been far less open to innovation and intellectualism, especially after the revolution claimed the Napoleonic Empire. Nuclear weapons have only recently been developed and have not yet been used as weapons in actual warfare. However all three major power blocs have large arsenals of inter-continental missiles equipped with nuclear warheads. Computers are becoming more important to this world, especially after the Germans built their own computerized economy and extensive surveillance system. Whilst primitive the major powers compensate by investing into enormous banks of computer systems, many of which are the size of buildings. These technologies are only recently becoming public consumer products and are the beginning of a recent liberalization of innovation and technological development. There was a Space Race that the Imperial Federation eventually won by successfully putting a man on the Moon and bringing him back. Satellites are now being sent up into orbit at an increasingly fast rate and the idea of weaponising them as platforms for automated missile systems is a major fear in the great powers.

Credit to Ammonoidea for the design of Russia.