I know in the past Argentina was one of the richest countries in the world and I think ones like Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Chile, Uruguay and Cuba also have the potential to be there. What would you change to make that happen? How would our world be different?

As far as I can tell, western Australia was settled because the Dutch (who had the formal claim) did not show much interest and the British feared the French might do it otherwise. The Swan River Colony's location was chosen because James Stirling had explored it, became wildly enthusiastic, and pushed for it to be the site of a settlement. If he hadn't gotten so stuck on it, what would some other potential locations have been? Obviously Albany became an important port later, but would it not have been too far east to deter the French? Generally, a location in the southwest seems preferable, given the climate. What about a place like Augusta, or Bunbury? They were settled rather early, so they seem like viable colony locations. (Or were they dependent on Perth somehow?) Sadly I don't know enough about the geography of western Australia or the needs of a colony at that time. Can anyone here help me out?

https://preview.redd.it/8hx4vy6304he1.png?width=6460&format=png&auto=webp&s=f846b987d440e1b53e7ffedc4b55174f4094447c

Guy! This is my first time creating lore about alternate history. Please, my information is inaccurate, you can comment and I'll fix it! (English is not my first language by the way. I'll try my best to create and fix)

Baja California Sur was a federal territory until 1974, and merging it with Baja California earlier would have helped Mexico consolidate governance and security after losing northern territories. The sparsely populated northern states of Sonora, Sinaloa, and Chihuahua could have merged to create a stronger Mexican state, making governance easier. Coahuila's merger with Texas aligns with historical Texan ambitions, reflecting desires to expand westward into a sparsely populated area with historic ties to Texas. Tamaulipas and Nuevo León, with strong economic ties, could have merged for administrative efficiency and economic stability, particularly with Monterrey as an industrial hub. Cuba's annexation by the U.S., based on the 1854 Ostend Manifesto, would have made strategic and economic sense, as the U.S. would exert more pressure on Spain, leading to Cuba's eventual integration into the United States.

I am really interested in the war Also why is lemuria the supposed best? What is lemuria?

I've started working on an alt-history timeline involving a successful 1920 Kapp Putsch in Germany, resulting in a de facto coalition of DNVP and Reichswehr officers against the republic. I've got an idea of some civilian administrators and roles largely pulled from the DNVP, but I'm unsure where to go with the issue of the monarchy.

Restoring Kaiser Wilhelm II seems like the most likely option, but with WWI still so fresh, I'm not sure if France and/or the UK would accept him becoming Kaiser again. I wondered if Crown Prince Wilhelm might be more acceptable to the Allies, as well as possibly easier to control for the new dictatorship, but I thought I'd ask here for ideas

Night, 14th February, 1955
Above the Forward Edge of the Battle Area
Kiangsu Province, Federal Republic of China

From airfields across Federal Chinese territory, hundreds of COD warplanes took off into the night sky and headed northwards to their objectives.

Ten years ago, Matt would be the tip of the spear, chasing enemy fighters around like hapless turkeys before the bombers arrived.

Now older and wiser, he wasn’t allowed to do it anymore; not because of pesky things like health conditions or age limit, but because post-World War Two FCAF regulations forbade flag officers from flying combat missions.

“Who’s going to run the Air Force if you maniacs all ended up dead or worse?” were supposedly the words of Madame Marilyn Chiang, former Minister of the Air Force and current Minister of Foreign Affairs.

As the saying went, however, rules were made to be broken, and no one embodied the rebelliousness and casual disregard for rigid command structures better than the Four Heavenly Kings of the Air Force.

True to form, they began to find workarounds.

Generals Charles Chih-hang Kao, GOC Air Combat Command, Gideon Kwei-tan Lee, GOC Strike Command, and Tristan Tsui-kang Liu, GOC Capital Air Defence Command, followed regulations to the letter. At the same time , they would often sneak out of their offices and fly non-combat aircrafts like the Avro Athlone and Douglas Dumbarton in support of combat missions, or patrol the skies on Hawker Hunters so far behind the lines there was almost no chance for the enemy to reach them.

Colonel Edan Yi-chin Yueh, OC 2nd Fighter Wing, went the other way; he steadfastly refused promotion and kept on flying. The brass was understandably annoyed, but with 99 confirmed air-to-air kills since 1937, Yueh was a national hero with plenty of friends in both Chambers of the National Assembly, and so he was left alone.

Major General Matthew Ming-chun Cheng, GOC 18th Bomber Group, simply ignored regulations and hopped onto his English Electric Nottingham, the Tientsin Tina, whenever they were assigned a mission, daring the brass to ground him.

It wasn’t as if they lacked reasons to ground him: his brother Ming-wei, for one, was the incumbent Deputy Minister of Industry in the PRC government; his sister Ming-li, for another, was the wife of General Cheng Zhihua of the RMJ, DGOC Central Plains Front.

Ugh, thinking about his surviving family in the North gave him headaches.

“Bob! Still got that tea of yours?” he asked his co-pilot.

“It’s called ‘yuen-yeung’, sir,” Captain Robert Ho, III handed over the thermos while correcting him. “How many times do I gotta tell you that?”

“Whatever,” Matt loved the Hongkonger drink, made from mixing equal parts coffee and tea. “Hmmmm, what’d you use this time? Not Ceylonese, I know that for sure.”

“Yunnanese, because Jonas wouldn’t shut up about it,” Bob said with mocked annoyance.

“Hawk Lead to Hawk Two, come in, over,” Matt went on the radio.

“Hawk Two, go ahead, over,” Captain Jonas Tsung-ming Tsai answered from Pu’erh Paula, currently on their starboard.

“Thanks for the leaf, Hawk Two. It was good.”

“My pleasure, sir. Have you given any thoughts to the proposal?”

The proposal was about a beverage company - specialising in tea, obviously - where the entire 18th Group from pilots to mechanics would be shareholders. There was no shortage of interested persons, but it needed an initial infusion of capital to get things started.

Naturally, Matt and Bob, both scions of prominent families, became Jonas’ main focus in his recruitment campaign.

“The answer is the same, Captain Tsai: I’ll let you know if I don’t die. Hawk Lead, out.” Matt signed off and turned to Bob. “Persistent little shit, isn’t he?”

“Persistent enough that I’m inclined to say yes,” Bob nodded.

“You looked at the plan?”

“I did. Did you?”

“Yeah, ” Matt took a deep breath and made his decision. “Ah, what the hell, I’ll need a new job when this is over.”

Bob pumped his fist in the air.

“But,” Matt added. “If we’re doing this, we’re gonna do it right. I’m bringing Madame Chiang on board. We can use the backing, financially or otherwise.”

“No arguments from me.”

That was the moment when the radio came to life.

“Tallyho, tallyho! Multiple bandits, eleven o’clock! Red Leader, engaging!” a Szechuan-accented voice called out.

“Go get’em, Steinway,” Matt, at 31 confirmed kills, said with a hint of envy.

“You think he’s gonna get his 100th kill?” Bob asked.

“He won’t stop trying, that’s for sure,” Matt commented before going on the radio. “Hawk Lead to all Hawks, watch your spacing. Be ready to take evasive actions.”

A chorus of “copies” came as everyone braced themselves.

The start of WW1 if Bismarck annexed Bohemia after defeating the Hapsburgs in the Prussia-Austrian War

LORE

• The Brother’s war goes exactly just like In Our Timeline (IOTL). The divergence point occurs after the war, where Bismarck does not see Austria as a reliable future ally and decided to annex Bohemia into the North German Confederation.

• Bismarck, in collaboration with their ally during the war (Kingdom of Italy), decide to annex certain territories from Austria-Hungary. Bismarck sees potential from a Hungarian state ally and also collaborates with Hungary.

• The North German confederation annexes all of Bohemia. Italy annexes South Tyrol and Trieste and becomes the “overseer” of the territory of Slovenia. Hungary annexes Slovakia and part of the Croatian coastline territories.

• Russian Empire took advantage of this and with little resistance, annexed Galicia. This would solidify distrust between the Russians, Germans and Hungarians.

• Humiliated, Austria is reduced to an independent Federal Republic.

• Post war up to WW1, everything plays out just like IOTL with the exception of Carlo Alberto, son of Italian King Victor Emanuel. Alberto did not die during infancy.

• During the early 1910s, the Italian government and Monarchy began making reforms to formally annex the Slovenian puppet state.

• On July 1914, Duke Carlo Alberto visits the capital of the Slovenian territory to promote integration into the Kingdom of Italy.

• A disgruntled Austrian national, seeking revenge for what happened after the Prussia-Austrian War, travels to Slovenia.

• As the Austrian national was moving through the back alleys of Ljubljana, he spots the carriage that is transporting Duke Alberto.

• He is able to shot and kill the Duke.

• The Italian government, with the approval of the German Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary, gave the Republic Austria an ultimatum with many unreasonable demands that would surely get rejected.

• Austria rejected the demand and the Italian government declared war on Austria. The Russian and French Empires declare war on Italy after forming a defensive alliance before 1914.

• Germany and Hungary declare war on France and Russia. The Central Alliance is officially form along with Italy.

• Determined to knock out France quick and secure the coastline, The German Empire decides to invade both The Netherlands and Belgium. This causes the British Empire to go to war against the Central Alliance.

Please consider visiting r/BulwarkAgainstTheBear, where you’ll find more maps and lore related to my alt-history project.

———

“This is the fight of our generation, we are a bulwark against the bear”

President John F. Kennedy - 16th October 1962

———

Whole Timeline Lore

Barbarossa gets discovered much earlier by the Soviets, and they prepare for the invasion. The Nazi’s main advance is undone within a year or so, only making it to Minsk before being pushed back, and the Soviets are locked in a stalemate until 1943, when they break through and the advance begins. Berlin is reached by mid 1944.

Paris is captured by a joint Soviet-Allied attack in 1945, after a second attempt at the previously failed D-Day succeeds. Germany is taken by the Soviets in exchange for the allies keeping France, and joins the Eastern Bloc, and Italy is split in two (the communists take the north).

The east is hardly on the USSR’s agenda, as they are much more focused on purging the Nazi threat, and this leads to a very different Pacific War, in which the US does most of the fighting.

Japan is allowed to keep Korea, and in this timeline they are much more loyal to the US and NATO. The KMT wins the war with the help of the Japanese and the democratic forces in China. Taiwan is given to Japan after a plebiscite.

Pakistan goes communist in the late 50s, after Soviet pressure. Bangladesh declares independence and moves closer to India, which is a federation in this TL because the princely states fear a communist revolution and push for more autonomy before the partition.

Africa is still under colonial rule, for the most part. France retained much of its western African lands, which are still haters of de Gaulle’s questionable tactics of submission. The UK still retains some colonies, although most of them were still owned by Britain in OTL at this point anyway.

Central America and Mexico are destabilised by communist revolutions, which is very dangerous for the US, which also owns the Bahamas in this TL for “strategic purposes”

And finally, the UAR was formed in retaliation to a communist uprising in Riyadh in 1954. Monarchist and Democratic forces joined up to destroy the communists, and then the Democratic powers betrayed the Monarchists and proclaimed a republic, uniting the gulf states along with it.

And that’s everything major, thanks once again people! Also, feel free to ask me anything about the TL or the map!

Lore: 1939-1941: Early War and Soviet Expansion

1939: World War II begins with Germany's invasion of Poland. The USSR, as per the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, invades Poland from the east, annexing the territories agreed upon with Nazi Germany. The Baltics (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) are also annexed by the USSR, as in our timeline. 1940-1941: The USSR consolidates its control over the Baltics and eastern Poland. Meanwhile, Germany conquers much of Western Europe, including France, and begins its invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941 (Operation Barbarossa). 1942: Turning Points

The Allies, led by the United States and the United Kingdom, begin planning an early invasion of mainland Europe. The success of the North African Campaign and the defeat of Axis forces in Egypt and Libya allow the Allies to focus on Europe sooner than in our timeline. The USSR struggles against the German advance, suffering heavy losses but managing to hold the line at Moscow and Stalingrad. However, without the same level of respect or trust from the Allies, the USSR is seen as a secondary partner in the war effort. 1943: Allied Momentum

D-Day in 1943: The Allies launch Operation Overlord in 1943, landing in Normandy as in our timeline but a year earlier. The invasion is successful, and Allied forces quickly push into France. Italy, already weakened by the Allied invasion of Sicily, falls in 1943. The Italian government surrenders, and the country is split into two occupation zones: the North controlled by the Allies and the South by a provisional Italian government. Eastern Front: The USSR continues to fight Germany but is not given the same level of support or recognition by the Allies. The Red Army advances more slowly than in our timeline, and the Allies begin to outpace the Soviets in liberating Europe. 1944: Allied Advance and Soviet Marginalization

The Allies liberate France and push into Germany. By late 1944, Allied forces reach Berlin, capturing the city before the Soviets. This is a major blow to Soviet prestige and influence in post-war Europe. The Allies also liberate Czechia, further limiting Soviet influence in Central Europe. The USSR is left with only Poland and East Germany under its sphere of influence, as the Allies dominate the rest of Europe. 1945: End of the War

Germany surrenders in May 1945, and the Allies occupy the country. The USSR is largely sidelined in the post-war negotiations, as the Allies do not view it as an equal partner. The Potsdam Conference reflects this, with the USSR receiving far less influence and territory than in our timeline. The Treaty of Paris (1947) formalizes the post-war borders and settlements. The USSR is only allowed to annex the Baltics and its 1939 Polish territories, while Poland is compensated with Kaliningrad. East Germany retains Pomerania and Silesia, with minor adjustments to Poland. Post-War Treaties and Territorial Changes

Treaty of Paris (1947)

USSR: Annexes the Baltics (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania) and its 1939 Polish territories. Gains influence over Poland and East Germany but is otherwise excluded from Western Europe. Poland: Receives Kaliningrad but retains its 1940 borders. Loses some territory in the east to the USSR but gains compensation in the west. Germany: Divided into East and West Germany. East Germany retains Pomerania and Silesia, with minor border adjustments to Poland. Italy: Split into North and South, both democratic. France annexes the Genoa province, while Yugoslavia annexes Trieste and Udine. Yugoslavia: Expands its territory by annexing Szeged (from Hungary) and parts of Italy (Trieste and Udine). Greece: Gains Southern Bulgarian Thrace and Northern Epirus. Romania: Restored to its pre-WW2 borders. Liechtenstein: Annexes Vorarlberg from Austria.

(Local KKK militia terrorists gathering to meet MacArthur's forces in Atlanta, Georgia. The actual Confederate military forces outside the city had been slaughtered the day before, and they too would be slaughtered just hours before the city was burnt and razed to the ground.)

As what historians now call the "2nd American Civil War" raged on, Puyi's "Triumvirate" of top Democratic politicians made up of Governor of New York Franklin D. Roosevelt, former Governor of New York Al Smith, and Representative from Texas John Nance Garner arrived in South Carolina. They had expected to meet with an at least hastily elected team of Governors, but instead were met with various local leaders of the Klu Klux Klan. They walked out of this meeting, and instead requested to meet the Senators and Representatives of the South.

So they did, and during this meeting they discussed why the South should end it's cause for independence. The Southern politicians expressed a bit of interest in the prospect of ending the rebellion should the Democratic Party win in November, but Garner, who had the most respect among the Southerners, pointed out that should the rebellion continue, the chances of the Democratic Party's candidate getting elected against President Arthur were significantly lowered.

The Confederate Government then went to discuss the matter privately, holding the first session of their Congress. During this Congress, their came the need for there to be a President. The Congress eventually decided on simply having one President, as opposed to a President and a Vice President. This President would serve for life, and would only step out of the office through death, impeachment, or resignation.

An election was then held, and the Triumvirate used their power among the members of the Government to elect a moderate candidate, Walter F. George, a Senator from Georgia. Unfortunately, the day of the election the man killed himself for fear that he would be the first to be executed once MacArthur came to South Carolina, as he was making a push into Georgia and by that point had smashed every "army" he had gone up against.

Cole L. Rease, an extremely radical white supremacist and a radical segregationist, then became President, and him along with the rest of the Confederate Government were quick to hammer out a peace deal with the Triumvirate. As MacArthur entered Atlanta, the Triumvirate entered D.C and submitted the peace deal to President Curtis, who eagerly excepted the deal.

The deal stated that a state of martial law would once again be instated for a period of up to 5 years, with the National Guard being sent down. Furthermore, anyone living in the states where martial law was instated were not allowed to vote until martial law was lifted, much to the outrage of the South. To the rest of the country however, this was agreeable. MacArthur was outraged, and just hours after the peace deal was made he burned Atlanta to the ground, claiming he had not received word that the treaty had been made. As what historians now call the "2nd American Civil War" raged on, Puyi's "Triumvirate" of top Democratic politicians made up of Governor of New York Franklin D. Roosevelt, former Governor of New York Al Smith, and Representative from Texas John Nance Garner arrived in South Carolina. They had expected to meet with an at least hastily elected team of Governors, but instead were met with various local leaders of the Klu Klux Klan. They walked out of this meeting, and instead requested to meet the Senators and Representatives of the South.

So they did, and during this meeting they discussed why the South should end it's cause for independence. The Southern politicians expressed a bit of interest in the prospect of ending the rebellion should the Democratic Party win in November, but Garner, who had the most respect among the Southerners, pointed out that should the rebellion continue, the chances of the Democratic Party's candidate getting elected against President Arthur were significantly lowered.

The Confederate Government then went to discuss the matter privately, holding the first session of their Congress. During this Congress, their came the need for there to be a President. The Congress eventually decided on simply having one President, as opposed to a President and a Vice President. This President would serve for life, and would only step out of the office through death, impeachment, or resignation.

An election was then held, and the Triumvirate used their power among the members of the Government to elect a moderate candidate, Walter F. George, a Senator from Georgia. Unfortunately, the day of the election the man killed himself for fear that he would be the first to be executed once MacArthur came to South Carolina, as he was making a push into Georgia and by that point had smashed every "army" he had gone up against.

Cole L. Rease, an extremely radical white supremacist and a radical segregationist, then became President, and him along with the rest of the Confederate Government were quick to hammer out a peace deal with the Triumvirate. As MacArthur entered Atlanta, the Triumvirate entered D.C and submitted the peace deal to President Curtis, who eagerly excepted the deal.

The deal stated that a state of martial law would once again be instated for a period of up to 5 years, with the National Guard being sent down. Furthermore, anyone living in the states where martial law was instated were not allowed to vote until martial law was lifted, much to the outrage of the South. To the rest of the country however, this was agreeable. MacArthur was outraged, and just hours after the peace deal was made he burned Atlanta to the ground, claiming he had not received word that the treaty had been made.