A Time of Troubles - The 1861 IH
Political Map:
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Economic Map:
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The Year is 1861, and North America and Europe are both in the midst of bloodbaths.
In North America, the primary focus is on the United States; Eleven Southern States have officially seceded from the Union, and proclaimed themselves the Confederate States of America, basing their founding off of a long-standing dispute between the powers of State and Federal legislature and law, as well as Slavery and many other arguements. The Confederacy, because of it's world-influencing Cotton monopoly, has managed to attract the attention of several European powers to the conflict, most notably the British Empire, which has had a rivalry with the United States since the War of 1812, if not sooner; meanwhile, the Russians are, for the moment, Pro-Union, if only to snub the British
for payback against the recent Russian defeat in the Crimea two years ago.
Just to the South, trouble is stirring in Mexico; the country's Liberals and Conservatives have been engaged in their own Civil War for a while now, with neither side having a clear advantage; and there is also talk of the French and Austrians collaborating to put a Hapsburg, Archduke Maximillian, on the Mexican throne as an Emperor, with French military support; a clear violation of the Monroe Doctrine...
Meanwhile, in the Caribbean, Haiti and the Dominican Republic are at war, again. Following the latter's independence from the former in 1844, Haiti has always been plotting to get the Dominican Republic back under it's control; whilethis is happening, the Dominican Republic is plagued from internal corruption and factionalism, with the current Dominican leader even proposing a return to Spanish rule, another violation of the Monroe doctrine. And if this occurs, Haiti would find itself surrounded by Spanish land; Cuba, Jamaica, and many other Caribbean islands, all with Spanish troops on them...
As this happens, in Europe, the most prominent standoff is the Italian Reunification, where, just a year earlier, two Italian men, Victor Emmanuel II and Giuseppe Garibaldi, have managed to unite Italy; the former uniting Northern Italy under the Sardinian-Piedmontese Banner, the latter terrorising the Kingdom of Two Sicilies with an all-volunteer force at his disposal. The two the united their land under a single, Italian banner, declaring Rome their capital. However, there was only one problem; Rome wasn't even their territory, it was Papal property, under French protection. To date, the French have not given up the city, and the fires of reunification still glow brightly in the eyes of newly-crowned
King Emmanuel II, not to mention the Austrians, who have yet to leave Venetia.
In Germany, the German Confederation is dominated by two powers; the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Austrian Empire, both of which believe themselves to be the leaders of the group, and both of which plan on creating their own versions of a 'Greater Germany'. Such conflicting opinions can only lead to disaster, in due time. Meanwhile, the Ottoman Empire sits jealously to the South of Austria, dreaming of once again being mighty enough to send vast armies to the gates of Vienna.
Finally, in Africa, tensions are mounting; the Spanish and French have both been expanding their territory there, the Spanish having recently defeated the Moroccans for control of the two cities of Ceuta and Melilla and their surrounding territory, and the French having annexed Algeria. The French are also challenging the Ottoman grip on North Africa, an especially bitter insult, considering that Algeria was effectively in Ottoman hands only 30 years earlier.
This is a time of great troubles, across four continents; Will you manage to hold off the enemies for long enough to wriggle out of your mess? Will you be responsible for your nation's demise at the hands of God's will? Or will you do the nearly impossible, and lead your nation to greater heights than ever before?