u/BornChef3439

I like reading about different constitutions and how different poltical systems work and function bur I don't quite understand what kind of political system the FPA uses. Is there any explanation?

Yes I know butterflies exist but what are some small or minor states that could have existed or at least have remained autonomous without dramatically altering the events that led to World War 1.

I know colonies or nations that were indepdent or semi autonomous around 1900 are pretty east

1. There is no reason the federation of Australia has to exist before WW1- they could have theoretically remained seperate until at least the end of ww1. Theoretically Victoria, NSW and Queensland might achieve dominionhood and then unite later

2. There is no need for There to be Union of South Africa as it was formed in 1910 and was rushed anyway with most issues being swept under the rug which led to big problems later. The Cape Colony could easily be a dominion, natal would remain a colony with responsible government. The 2nd Boer war could probably be prevented leaving the Boer republics indepdent or if it still happens they could remain seperate colonies.

3. Korea could probably remain at least semi autonomous or a Japanese protectorate without being annexed in 1910. I suppose the Ryukus could theoretically also remained a protectorate without dramatically changing history or altering japan.

Those are some I have so far. What are a few others? Are there a few european nations or smaller states that could have survived without dramatically changing or altering the start of ww1?

Hey. I have always wondered what an English "latin american" style colony would look like. While there were plenty of white settler colonies we never quite saw what a mixed raced and racially complex british colony would have looked like outside of the Cape Colony and some caribbean colonies. I am honestly less interested in the geopoltical and historical implications. Rather I want to use alternate history to explore themes of class and race in a British colony that resembles something close to a latin american state but through a british lens and how it changes during and post ww1.

The basic premise is that the British took over parts of Dutch Brazil but rather then take over all of brazil or even just northern brazil they recieved a colony that for a while has largely been neglected until recent years.

A few areas I could use suggestions on.

1. Location- I more or less picked this area in Brazil- I suppose they took it from the Dutch but while I dont want to dwell too much on this region I also dont know if I am missing some dynamics or history from this part of brazil that might impact the colony

My basic idea for the geographic location of the colony is this area in pink

2. Names of cities and towns- Should I just rename towns and cities? Or would some places retain their old names?

3. Economically what did this area look like in the 19th century and how might british investment influence it to be different in this world?

Below I have written some ideas I have for the country itself on the eve of ww1. I actually want to focus less on what the country does in ww1 and more on how it impacts its people through several fictional families representing different classes and groups.

1914- eve of ww1

The Crown Colony of Potigar

Potigar is a self governing  British crown colony with reposbible government that sits upon the North east Coast of South America lying between the equator and the tropic of Capricorn.

Potigar posses one of the strongest economies in the Tropical British empire and serves as the empires primary naval and commercial base in South America.

Capital- Kingsport

Population 5.9 million

Demographics-

“Creoles”(includes various mixed groups)- 56%

Europeans- 16%

Africans- 10%

Natives- 9%

Indians- 5%

Other 4%( other or indeterminable groups).

Officially the colony outlawed outwardly racial legislation in the 1850’s however this does not mean social and economic exclusion doesn’t exist.

Creoles are a large and very broad group that includes everything from the near white planter elite, to the mixed raced classes that inhabit the principal towns and cities, to the majority who are rural tenant farmers and labourers. Their appearance varies widely, what makes them distinct isn’t the way they look but from the fact that they claim themselves to be the “natives” of the land.

Despite this many near white planters have slowly whitened their stock over the generations but despite this many still face a subtle glass ceiling that prevents them from being recognized as truly white outside the colony.

Africans or Afro Portigans are in fact often just as mixed as the creoles- the primary distinction is often skin tone and class. A dark skinned creole who works as a labourer or works in an informal trade will often be defined as an African whereas say there slightly more light skinned brother may be categorized as Creole.

The white population has a long history- while the majority of early white settlement consisted of Portuguese, dutch and English planters- the majority of these have been intergrated into the Creole society. Potigar was never a popular destination for settlement- for about 200 years it was less profitable then the Caribbean and a less desirable destination for settlement then North America.  While small English populations did exist prior to the 1860’s this was mostly a few planters, soldiers and administrators. Following the depression of the sugar economy in the mid-nineteenth century, immigration remained modest until the 1870s, when railway construction, coffee cultivation and assisted migration schemes began attracting increasing numbers of settlers from Scotland, Ireland and northern England. This new class has created some tension with the existing creole elite, many have formed enclaves in the towns and cities though many remain working class and outside both polite british society and creole elites. Urban middle class creoles are esepically suspicious of this group. There are occasional tensions between urban creoles and the new white immigrants especially because most working class white immigrants lack the franchise while at the same time even within the white community there slowly increasing tensions between protestants and Catholics.

Economy-

 The Primary exports of the colony are Sugar, Coffee, Cotton, Cocoa , Fruit and Tabacco among others.

Main imports include machinery, coal, iron, steel and luxury goods.

Industry is still largely limited to the Capital and surrounding areas and remains modest. It has a fast expanding railway sector though not the same extent as some of Britian’s dominions.

The majority of the population remains involved in agriculture with a growing secondary and teritanry sector in shipping, railways, mining, manufacturing and commerce.

Who controls the economy?

Plantations — old Creole families

Banks — British capital

Railways — British investment

Retail — urban Creoles but an ever increasing Indian population is causing some anxiety amongst many creoles.

Small farming — rural Creoles

Skilled trades — Europeans and Creoles

Politics

Potigar is a crown colony with responsible government. The governor is the appointed representative of the British government and appointed from the colonial office. They retain a wide range of executive powers and a veto on political, military and diplomatic matters.

The legislature is made up of two houses- the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative council.  The lower house Legislative assembly  is elected via FPTP in a mix of multi member and single member constituencies. The urban boroughs use multi member constituencies   while the rural districts use single member constituencies.

The franchise itself is limited by income and property. In order to vote in an urban borough the population one must be a natural born or naturalized British subject who is literate and owns property worth 75 pounds or earns an income of 50 pounds, rural districts are much the same except the property and income threshold is far higher at 100 pounds worth of property and income. The current legislative assembly  after the Franchise and Ballot act of 1902 consists of 95 seats of which 45 seats are from multi member “borough” constituencies and the remaining 45 are from  the single member district seats, while 5 seats are ex officio consisting of the attorney general, colonial secretary and the treasurer and two seats appointed by the governor . “from among those who can best represent the views of the native peoples under crown treaty”.

The upper house legislative assembly is made up of 30 members all appointed by the governor for life.

Local government is largely in the hands of town council elected by ratepayers in the major cities and towns while rural areas are administered by magistrates who hold both administrative   and judicial powers

 

Political parties

While formal political parties have not formally taken shape as of yet there are several broad currents and factions that can be identified in the colony.

The Planters Association- this is one of the oldest political groupings and have dominated the colony for decades representing the planter creole elites. But since the passing of the 1902 Franchise and Ballot act they no longer have a monopoly on political power.

Liberals - this group was formed by middle class and urban creoles who campaigned to expand the franchise. They successfully had the franchise expanded but remain fairly moderate mostly focused on expanding education and commerce as well as modernizing administration.  They increasingly take up prominent roles in the government but carefully balance governments with the planter elites. Included in this group are a few white english liberals.

The Reform League- this is the party of the majority of the white voting population. They bitterly opposed to what they see as unfair and archiac voting laws that disenfranchise the “white man” while the “lazy creoles” continue to corrupt the colony preventing it from achieving its full potential. They advocate for a fracnhise that will “empower the white man” while at the same time promoting education for white children as well as the opening up of land for white men”.

Imperial Party- another grouping consisting of some whites, planers and even a few middle class creoles known for their deeply pro Imperial sympathies as well as the modernization of the colony.

Politically about 17% of the adult male population can vote.

Demographically this breaks down as

Creoles- 65%

Europeans- 31%

Others- 4%

While Europeans punch above their weight in multi member borough seats the rural seats are dominated by the creole elites. They together with the liberals and sometimes the imperials often form governments though without a formal party system administrations can vary wildly depending on legislative assembly support

Current compisiton of legaslative Assembly

Planters Association- 29 seats

Liberals- 27 seats

Reform league- 18 seats

“Imperial” party – 11 seats

Independents- 5

Labour- 3

Official Members- 3

Native Nominees – 2

Current government-

A loose combination of Planters Liberals and Imperials

The current Chief Minister is a Planter who has lost the support of 14 planters and has formed a collation with 20 liberals and the imperial party along with the 3 official members.

 

 

 

Race relations and “whitening”

While the majority of the population are mixed “creoles” and overt racial discrimination is officially outlawed the reality is that discrimination is entrenched and even among creoles how “white” ones skin or appearance matter greatly to both the upper planter class and the middle classes.  Creoles with darker skin especially those of clearly stronger african or indigenous descent have a much harder time climbing up the social ladder.

Afro creoles face much social discrimination and many employment avenues while not officially restricted are often in practice restricted relegating them to low paid occupations in rural area’s.

Indigenous people are completely cut out of the political system despite having “5 members who represent the views of the indigenous people” are mostly excluded from formal politics. Most live under treaty on reserves as “protected subjects of the crown” while this protects some indigenous land in reality much of this land is often sold to large companies which exploit the land while indigenous people can often not enter into formal contracts and have other restrictions- for example indigenous people cannot be sold or consume alcohol nor can they posses or own guns.

The small but growing Indian population arrived as indentured laborers to replace the afro and rural creoles after the abolished of the apprenticeship system. Many still remain on these estates but some have begun establishing their own businesses in some boroughs which causes much alarm both amongst urban creoles and white immigrants.

Education

The Educational boards act of 1905 has created a framework the establishment of public schools throughout the colony however its implementation has been highly uneven and outside of the middle and upper classes even basic education relies either on mission and church schools or especially in rural area’s there is an acute lack of basic educational facilities.

St Georges Grammar school for boys and Diocesan Boys School are the two most important educational instituions for the elites of the colony- there rivalries especially in cricket, rugby union and rowing are always the talk of the country and have large crowds. St Annes school for girls and Kingsport Girls school provide education to the girls of the colony.

Below these are the newer Grammar schools and older denominational schools that provide education to the boys and girls of the middle classes.

The vast majority rely on public education from the unevenly distributed local board school, mission schools or informal schooling set up by churches or charities. Many children in rural areas lack access to even basic schooling especially in treaty areas.

Kingsport University is the main higher educational institute in  the country- it admitted its first female students in 1899.

Defense

The defense of the colony is shared between the British army garrison and Kingsport naval base as well as the locally raised Potigar Volunteer force. The latter is mostly formed from locally raised infantry, mounted rifles and artillery largely drawn from the old planter and creole classes. There history harkens back to the early years of the colony when local creoles were used against the indigenous population as well as against portuguese and dutch raids.  Indigenous people are completely excluded from military service or even owning guns. The afro potigar and indian population are also excluded from the military though many afro potigars of mixed descent can easily pass for rural creoles and are often let in.

 

Religion

Anglican- 35%

Roman Catholic- 32%

Presbyterian- 10%

Methodists- 10%

Muslim- 3%

Hindu- 3%

Other 7%

 

On the eve of the Great War this colony stands out within the Empire. But how the war will change it is yet to be seen

 

 

 

 

 

My basic premise is no 2nd Boer War, the immidiate and obvious result here is that the Union of South Africa or the Unfication of the Boer republics and the british colonies certianlly does not happen before ww1 even if there is some closer economic intergration.

Without the war the Boer republic may just be content to remain neutral especially if the animosity born from the Jameson raid is avoided. They most likley remain neutral. The anti Kruger oppsition in the ZAR may even become more pro british.

Anyway the two parts of South Africa that is almost certianlly going to war are the Cape Colony and Natal colony.

Without the 2nd Boer war the cape colony absolutely keeps its non racial qualified franchise- in order to vote you needed to own property of 75 poubds or have an income around 50 pounds plus be literate, The result of this was that while many poor whites could not vote around something like 16-20% of the voting population was non white. This will be extremely important for ww1.

The Cape also almost certianlly becomes a dominion either just before or after new zealand as they had already had an advanced form of responsible government since 1872 much like the australian colonies and new zeland before they gained dominion status. Once australia is formed polticians in the cape would almost certianlly start talking about dominiohood even without an unification of south africa, not just that but it makes South West Africa a much more strategically important target for the Cape.

Now the most important chnge here is that in real life south africa provided something like 250 000 combat and non combat troops for the war- without the free state and ZAR his number is smaller but the big difference here though is unlike the union of South africa the Cape would recruit mixed raced coloureds as combat troops in much greater numbers. The Cape Coloured people were the mixed raced majority of the western half of the cape colony- they made up the urban working class and the rural labouring classes in the Cape. In OTL Smuts and Louis Botha wanted nothing to do with these troops and were opposed to using them as combat troops in the war. It was only thanks the effort of white Cape polticians and coloured civil rights groups that the government was forced to relent though they were paid less then white troops and were mostly kept as labour troops but several units served as combat units in east africa and Palestine. I believe the Cape Corps intially had something like 50 000 volunteers most of whom where turned away. This group almost certianlly is armed and fights in much greater numbers of course in segrgated units and with white officers(though in later years in the war I expect some coloured junior officers to start getting promoted)

As for white troops- they would still be the majority of the Capes troops but there numbers are probably bolstered by english volunteers from the transvaal. While I dont see 250 000 combat or non combat troops like the union of South Africa I think the cape could most likely get something close to 2/3rd or greater the number of that with the addition of troops from Natal.

The question might be what happens to the black population of the Cape? In OTL they were recruited in non combat labour roles and while the cape was certianlly more liberal then the Union of South Africa I think arming black troops on masse early would be a step too far. They probably stick to labour corps for most of the war, but i could imagine poltical pressure from black voters who were important swing voters in the eastern districts of the cape might see a small number of black troops armed perhaps modeled on the Kings Africa rifles.

As for the other british colony natal- it was way more conservative then the cape- there would no arming of indians or zulus in Natal especially if something like the Bhambatha rebellion still happens. They will mostly provide white troops who will fight alongside cape troops, indians perhaps in support roles and zulus as labour. However something interesting to note is that Natal did have a long history of Black combat troops, most famously was the Natal Native horse which was formed during the Zulu war and served with distinctions throughout natals history before being disbanded during the 2nd Boer war. without the second boer war its quite likely they stick around though how they might be used in the war and whether natal would be willing to revive the Natal Native Contingents is debatable- neverthelss we can assume that the vast majority are used as labourers.

Now some of my questions:

1. How many troops might the Cape and natal be able to provide in comparison to the real world union of South Africa?

2. How does the invasion of german south west africa go here?

3. Post South West africa- where might cape and natal troops be deployed? East Africa? The mediterinaian? Middle East? Western Front?

4. The use of the mixed raced Cape Corps- in OTL they were mostly deployed to east africa and later palestine where they saw combat, are they still deployed there? Or are they used in differnt sectors due to their greater numbers and more being combat troops?

5. If limited numbers of black troops are used outside of labour for combat fromt he cape and natal where might they be deployed?

6. In this scenario I assumed that the Boer republics remain neutral due to no 2nd boer war. Would they remain neutral or could germany entice them to get involved or might some polticians in the ZAR even be willing to join the entente late in the war?

If I were a city planner in the 50's and 60's and I didnt have apartheid influencing what I could do the logical thing to do would be to keep people close enough to the city center while still expanding. So this would mean building dense urban singapore style housing along the N1 towards Belville. This would have kept most working class coloured people close to the city center. 

Then I would have built suburban single home housing from athlone to Zeekovlei along the M5- a lot of these areas other then athlone developed much later. Housing would be more spread out in these areas and more racially intergrated or at least this would be the area where the coloured middle classes would mostly live.

District 6 would still exist like the Bo-Kaap but even more dynamic and important to the city- it would be the heart of the city and be an iconic city center which would be popular with tourists.

The main "african suburbs"  Langa, Nyanga and Gugulethu would intergrated as part of the city and not be neglected and would get access to proper infastructure and resources early.

Most of the Cape Flats is then fairly open and sparesely populated which means if there is a population increase from migration it would be easier to accomadate new arrivals. Of course if there were no group areas act or apartheid this might not even be an issue as people might migrate closer to home and the economic conditions that created the housing issue might not exist.

The main railway line would be the Northern Railway line as I would build most public housing between town and belville so people would have easier access to work. This would also make the city less car centric

I admit I dont watch football that often but I am proud of how the boys did this world cup. I think going out about now is more or less around our level so cant complain.

But where do we move on from here? It does seem like we have decent defense but we just cannot score. We only scored two goals the entire world cup and 1 of them was a penalty. Outside of the Korean game we never seemed to really bother the opposition on attack.

So where to from here? How do we improve?