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His Imperial and Royal Majesty William II, German Emperor, King of Prussia Seine Kaiserliche und Königliche Majestät Wilhelm II, Deutscher Kaiser, König von Preußen
In regards to the domestic affairs of the Empire, plans have already been drawn up in conjunction with Admiral von Tirpitz in regards to the expansion of the Kaiserliche Marine. Funds have already been appropriated, and preliminary designs already proposed and accepted, for the construction of two new classes of battleship, with four ships per class, to strengthen the capital ship battery of the Navy and to further the continued modernization of the Empire's fleet. Accompanying the construction of these major warships in the dockyards of Wilhelmshaven, Kiel, Stettin, and other cities, fourteen light cruisers, in two ship classes, and eight armored cruisers, in three ship classes, to be constructed in the coming years. Furthermore, a new class of sixteen destroyers shall be laid down, to act as the vital screens of the Kaiserliche Marine's larger fleet warships; and two classes of gunboats, with six ships each, shall better the Navy's ability to protect her coastline, both at home and in the overseas possessions of the Empire.
The nation of Germany is greatly disturbed by these recent attacks on the International Legations by the Chinese Boxers. We are very proud of our brave soldiers and marines and we will do everything that we can to support them. We are also quite concerned by the recent developments, including the routing of Russian and Spanish troops and the flanking of French and American troops. As such, Germany will be deploying a division of 15,000 troops to aid the other international forces in their defense of the Legation Quarter.
Prince Chlodwig zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfurst, Chancellor of the German Empire
SITUATION IN THE PHILIPPINES Updated issued with authorisation from Keld
American Troops in the Philippines
With the stroke of a pen some three-centuries of Spanish rule came to an end, as Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States of America. The signatures of Spanish and American diplomats on the Treaty of Paris (1898), however, meant little to the inhabitants of the islands. Having proclaimed independence from Spain in June of 1898, and having fought alongside American soldiers in the Spanish-American War, the Philippine nationalists now wholeheartedly refuse to recognise the authority of the Madrid to sign on their behalf, and denounce any transfer of Philippine sovereignty to the United States of America.
A Gentlemen’s Agreement?
The rebels, known as members of the Suprema y Venerable Asociación de los Hijos del Pueblo, or, more simply, in their native tongue, as Katipuneros, first emerged as an insurgency against Spanish colonial rule. Although the Spanish Governor-General of the Philippines, Fernando Primo de Rivera, successfully bribed the rebel leaders and pacified the dissenters, this appeasement was to be short-lived. American consuls persuaded Emilio Aguinaldo, a leading figure of Philippine Nationalism, to revive the rebellion against the Spanish. Moreover, American diplomats provided assurances that an independent Philippine Republic would be recognised and protected by the United States of America following the end of the then on-going conflict with Spain.
As the Spanish-American War drew to a close, Madrid appointed a new governor-general, Fermín Jáudines, to reach an agreement with U.S. Admiral George Dewey and General Wesley Merritt regarding the cessation of hostilities in the Philippines. An arrangement was formed under which Spain would surrender Manila, her last redoubt on the islands, to the United States. The Filipino rebels, however, would be entirely excluded from this agreement. The Katipuneros had anticipated a triumphal entrance into Manila, which they regard as their capital city, but were informed by General Merritt that Philippine insurgents would be barred from receiving the Spanish surrender and would be fired upon if they attempted to enter the city.
Filipino Nationalists Outside Manila
Aguinaldo’s Announcement
With the passing months, it became more apparent that the United States of America intended to stay. Tensions mounted as relations deteriorated and, soon enough, an incident along the San Juan del Monte Bridge sparked open hostilities between the Philippine Nationalists and the U.S. Army. Clashes have continued throughout the islands, with the Filipino insurgency employing the same guerilla tactics against the American armed forces that proved successful against the Spanish. Emilio Aguinaldo, the erstwhile American ally, proclaimed today that guerilla warfare will be the method by which the Katipuneros will compel the United States of America to withdraw from the Philippines. This decree was echoed by Filipino General Macabulos, who vowed to inflict “constant losses” on the U.S. Army.
In autumn of the year 1900, a government steamer crashed off of the northern coast of Anatolia. Its contents were quiet quickly stolen and distributed amongst local thieves and brigands. However, anarchist elements managed to capture a letter, which was signed by the Sultan himself, and addressed to his close friend, a General stationed near the Russian border. The Anarchists published its contents in order to defame the Sultan and the Ottoman dynasty as a whole.
I am now surrounded by liberal and weak minds, my dear friend. The days of old glory are well gone in their minds; they want to subject our Empire only to stagnation and want me to bow my knees to some foreign infidel King. It is on loyal men like you that I rely on nowadays; the old guard that still has within their hearts the love for the Empire that broke Rome. The snakes around me seek political power for their own advancement and care not for their Sultan or their faith – men like you and me have nothing in their desires but to once again seek glory for our people.
Six days ago I had another one of those dreams – I stand circled by wolves, with naught but a pitiful knife in my hand. Every night the wolves circle, and every night they pounce, yet not a single time have I dared to strike them. And it always ends abruptly, with me staring into their hungry jaws. These are not the simple dreams of an aging man; they are messages from Allah, we must believe so. We are circled by wolves, with eyes dyed crimson, white and blue. Britons, French, Russians – they are naught but beasts trying to pounce upon us and rip us apart.
We are the last bastion of Islam in the world, and without us the Prophets religion will be trapped under the boots of young barbaric Empires. We must do what I dared not do in the dream – strike. Kill the wolves before they bite, and trample the hissing snakes under our boot. The Slavs of the West have been our subjects for centuries – not having them under our control diminishes our position.
I have drilled the troops on the Western border well enough. Soon their arms will be better too, and their morale will grow once we strike at our enemies. I will transfer your protégée to the West – I believe he’s ready to lead, and you will be needed in the West. The Muscovites, a savage enemy, will surely come in their thousands.
The maps will look as they should. I trust you have received the map I’ve sent three days before this letter. Any criticisms are welcome, albeit I must say that I can’t see how you could have any. I look forward to your reply, and trust that your troops and you are in the finest condition.
The governments of Austria and Hungary despite frequent bickering are united in their efforts to modernize the Empire. Citing the fact that despite having three-quarters the population of their ally Germany, the entire Austro-Hungarian Empire only possessed a quarter of the industrial capacity. Furthermore, the quality and reach of the Imperial Railway was found lacking compared to that of their ally, particularly in the Hungarian portion of the empire. In order to rectify this problem, both portions of the empire open the government’s coffers to fund the expansion of the nation’s industry and railways. The effects of the industrial expansion are primarily found in the Austrian portions of the Empire, particularly around Prague and Vienna which formed the industrial heartland of the empire, while the expansion of the nation’s railways occurred primarily in Hungary. The initiative did create some chaffing with the Hungarian nobility as they believed that the latest efforts primarily benefited the Austrians, especially when one considers most of the rail equipment was manufactured in Prague or Vienna.
The Grand Central Station in Budapest
Following the massive expenditure on the nation’s infrastructure and industry, the Diets were less than willing to support even further expenditure. So when the Austrian proposed an overhaul of the nation’s army, the Hungarian Diet revolted and killed any attempts to modernize the military this year, and furthermore voted to reduce funding for the army.
The Italian government and the opposition work to push an imperialistic agenda and promote colonialism. Though largely successful, the public was left confused that a government promoting the colonialist agenda did not act to protect their position in China.
Both the Italian right and left believed that by increasing the nation’s industrial base that they would be strengthen the Italian nation, and potentially increase their electoral results. The Italian Left, abandoning their traditional stronghold in Northern Italy, sought to accomplish this by promoting expansion of industry in Southern Italy, however, unfortunately for them the Italian right managed to capitalise on this plan through the construction of several new armaments factories around Naples and Palermo. This results in a large surge in support for the Italian Right in Southern Italy and basically guarantee it to them in the coming election, and a weakening of support of the Italian Left in the North.
A new Italian armaments factory
However, despite all of these efforts, and perhaps in spite of them, attempts by the Italian Right to raise support support in the country fall flat particularly given the reluctance of the Italian government to support its own position in China against the Boxers. However, this reduction in support was not as great as that of the loss of support for the Italian Left. More significantly however, the loss in support of both the Right and the Left, lead to a rise in support of third parties.
The French Left in a bizarre and startling move begins a highly successful campaign to promote the reinstitution of the French Monarchy. In the countryside many believed that if even the French Left is supporting the idea of a restoration of a monarchy, that such an action was clearly necessary. In the cities this campaign only served to undermine support for the Left. It would later be discovered that this campaign was caused due to an error in an internal party memo, that replaced against with promote.
Further compounding the problems of French government was a proposed initiative to call on all of the debts owed to France and threaten those who did not immediately pay with war and blockade. Seeing as most debt was actually owned by French bankers and not the government itself, and that by acting on this initiative would damage international relations and cripple the financial capacity of the nation in both the public and private spheres, the initiative was quickly shot down. Due to the this and other failures during the year, a sudden vote of no confidence is called against the government. The resultant vote results in snap elections in early 1901.
The French Right capitalizes on the inconsistencies of the Left and the failures of the nation during the previous year to garner support for the Right in the snap elections. The campaign focuses terrible showings the French military in China and the destruction of the Arch de Triumph by leftists, which had worsened to a collapse of the central span, as the government under the left had still not allocated funds for its reconstruction.
The current state of the Arch de Triumph
However, not all efforts by the right were successful when the military rebuffs attempts to garner support from the military. The French military states that it is a guardian of French democracy and will remain uninvolved in any elections.
The Danish government enacts the Royal Mining Act of Greenland establishing a Den Kongelige Grønlandske Mineselskab (Royal Mining Company of Greenland), subsidiary of Den Kongelige Grønlandske Handel (The Royal Greenland Trading Department). The new company is able to exploit many new resources that had previously been left untouched. In particular the production of cyrolite, a crucial component of the aluminum production process, takes off.
The Scandinavian Economic-Monetary Union was signed by the governments of both Denmark and Sweden-Norway. Both nations would benefit from the new treaty as it provided a single easily usable currency and easy travel between the nations. It also would benefit the economies of the member nations, however, Denmark would benefit significantly more from the relationship than Sweden or Norway given the much larger market it gained.
Two 20 Kr coins
More successful for Sweden-Norway, were attempts to encourage the growth of a modern electrical industry. Swedish electric irons would quickly become popular amongst the housewives of Europe, allowing the to replace their old and heavy cast-iron irons.
The efforts to construct medical supplies factories in the Netherlands also fail, when subsidies meant to encourage the construction of the new factories disappear when the government official carrying the bearer bonds, is found murdered in a back alley in Amsterdam, without his briefcase.
The Spanish Crown in an attempt to curry favor and increase its support resorts to openly bribing the military, confirming to many the corruption endemic to the Spanish nation. Compounding the issue however was the Crown sought to undermine the Cortes Generales, force its will with the backing of the military. However, this action did succeed in getting the Cortes to repeal the Draft Law of 1877.
The oddly named Iberian Economic Cooperation Act, became surprisingly one sided when Portuguese companies in a surprise to many in international markets were able to thoroughly exploit the treaty and dramatically expand their business in Spain and its colonies, while effectively shutting the Spanish out of Portugal.
The Portuguese government’s deal with Brazil falls through when the Brazilian government refuses to recognize the treaty. Though fortunately for the Portuguese, they had yet to make the allowances for increase Brazilian trade. Thus, the only damage to the Portuguese was that done to their pride.
British efforts to strengthen their colonies fail when the colonial governments prove resistive to their efforts, in particular South Africa, that was currently under threat from the Boer republics. That the Colonial Office would seek to instead try to work on the economic situation and have the gall to demand that the colonial government reduce expenditures when it is facing a war and is partially occupied by the Boer Republics, lead to significant tension.
Compounding the issues was the complete flop of British recruiting efforts which actually decreased enlistment in the British Army as potential enlistees learned of the horrors faced by the British army in both China and South Africa, as the British Army suffered setbacks particularly in South Africa.
The House of Commons, startled at the announcement of a new naval expansion program by the German Kaiser, forwards the idea for further expanding the Royal Navy, with an emphasis on larger battleships with the smaller, more maneuverable light cruisers to provide reconnaissance for these new battleships. However, when it was realized that the proposed bill ordered for the construction of no less than fourteen battleships and over thirty new light cruisers, the bill was crushed by the Liberals. As a compromise, the Conservatives proposed the creation of a new battleship class -- later known as the Duncan-class -- of eight battleships. Four of these ships would be laid down in 1900, with another four being laid down the next year. These battleships were powered by the latest coal-fired propulsion systems and sported new, long range torpedoes with the largest warheads equipped on any battleship in the world. The battleships were designed to operate in the rough waters of the North Sea; this contradicted the plan of the previous year, which hoped that the new battleships would be designed to combat enemy warships in the Mediterranean. However, the bill compromised by limiting the construction of light cruisers; only six of the newly-designed Topaze-class light cruisers would be laid down and commissioned. These ships had many numerous 4-inch guns -- twelve, to be exact -- though their effectiveness against even armored cruisers would be limited, if anything. Still, they could put up a very hellish fire against lighter targets.
A Formidable-class battleship, the predecessors of the new Duncan-class
1900 saw the Belgian government in agreement with the King transfer control of the Congo Free State from the personal rule of the King to Belgian state. In doing so the government assumed all the responsibilities and debts of the King’s former personal property. Beyond the immediate large debt assumed by the government, what this would hold for the Belgians remained to be seen.
The Belgian Congo…
The celebration of 70 years of Belgian Independence from the Netherlands was the event of the year for many Belgians, with celebrations lasting long into the night. Not only did the populace fully embrace the independence celebrations but the art and music commissioned for the ceremonies were amongst the best compositions in recent years.
Under the Kaiser’s guidance the Imperial Marine battalions were dramatically expanded from the 800 men to 5,000. The new recruits were destined to garrison German colonies around the globe and aid in the protection of these colonies, in particular the besieged Legation and other holdings in China.
Efforts to improve the infrastructure of the German colonies are slightly less successful than desired primarily due to the vast expense of shipping materials to the colonies and the often difficult terrain and conditions in the colonies. However, the Germans preserved and managed to achieve their goals, though at a higher cost than originally estimated.
The 1898 Naval Law passed by the Reichstag in that year decreed that Germany required eight brand-new battleships to form the backbone of its navy. Thus, Admiral von Tirpitz, a favorite of the Kaiser, oversaw the designing of these new battleships; the first four ships, the Braunschweig-class, had superior speed and armor to the preceding German battleships. Later in the year another class of four battleships were designed and laid down. The Deutschland-class was designed, unlike the Braunschweigs, to operate at longer ranges, making them able to reach German ports overseas in Africa and in Asia. Accompanying this slew of new battleships were even more cruisers: the seven light cruisers of the Bremen-class and, laid down later in the year, seven more of the Blitz-class. Four armored cruisers were then laid down, with heavier armor and armaments than their comparatively primitive predecessors, with four more to be built starting the following year. Lastly, to fulfill the quota laid down by the Kaiser, new gunboats and destroyers were designed and quickly had their keels laid to provide fast cover and reconnaissance for the steadily growing Kaiserliche Marine, which could soon rival the nearby French and Russian Navies in size and power. Tirpitz, however, was unsatisfied with the 11-inch caliber of the main battleship guns -- as all other battleships of the world were usually armed with 12-inch guns -- and drew up preliminary designs for newer, faster battleships with even heavier armaments, though his proposal was quickly struck down by the Reichstag due to budgetary constraints.
The first ocean-going German battleship, SMS Brandenburg, built in 1890; the Kaiserliche Marine had come a long way
The Russian Tsar desiring to unite his country with a ribbon of iron rail connecting European Russia with his far-flung possession in Siberia and ultimately Vladivostok in the Far East. The need for connecting these positions was well-known and accepted in the Russian establishment and Russian people. As such efforts to increase funding for the project were quickly supported and the railroad saw a vast expansion, finally reaching Irkutsk.
Near the Irkutsk station in Siberia
Efforts to improve Russian industry did not proceed as well as the efforts to build the railway. Each attempt increase industry was stymied by influential nobles who desired to keep the old ways in place and desired not loose any power. To keep these nobles content, the funds that had been earmarked for this cause were diverted towards these nobles.
The greatest success for the Russians was found in efforts improve the status of the Empire’s army. The Tsar lavished funds upon his soldiers, attempting to drag his army into the modern era. The Russian soldiers marveled at the new uniforms and equipment granted to them. But most of all, they loved the new shoes and better rations.
The Balkans and the Middle-East
Bulgaria opens out the year by putting in a number of purchase orders for German Rifles. Thousands of guns are purchased to replace their aging arsenals and most regiments are equipped with newer Mauser rifles before the year is out. Additionally, many officers are sent to Germany to learn what they can, and bring that knowledge back to Sofia to set up a new military academy. Most of the officers sent are not planned to return back to Bulgaria till next year, and then they expect another year or so before they can set up an academy.
Bulgarian soldiers showing off their new Mausers
The Bulgarian government begins a project to lay down multiple new railway lines to replace aging ones, and to get the steel for these new lines they also begin the construction of a number of steel mills. For now the project is waiting on the completion of the mills but the entire project is off to an auspicious start.
Romania attempts to cater to foreign companies, to help construct a railroad between the port of Constana, the Capital and the Ploiesti oil fields. While they wanted a company from one of the major powers, they instead get Circumvesuviana, an Italian Railway company that was founded within the last decade. The company begins construction of the railway at Ploiesti and moves along at a reasonable, if slow pace.
The Romanian government also attempts to cater to foreign companies that produce farming equipment and firearms, an odd combination to say the least, in the hope that they would set up factories in Romani. The combination gets a bit mangled in the Romanian bureaucracy and some government peons try to search in vain all year for a company that produces both farming equipment and firearms at the same time. At the very least the only money that was lost was the peon’s wages.
Said “peon”
The Serbian government attempts to re-organize their conscription system. Trying to implement a system that would make all males between 17 and 50 eligible for military service. No one likes this law, the military doesn’t want to deal with a bunch of untrained conscripts stressing their already taxed NCO levels, and the civilians don’t want to be pulled from their fields to go into the military at any time. The government quickly rescinds the law, and manages to avoid some costs, but morale is a bit low.
At the very least the Serbian government does manage to make extremely good progress on getting a new rifle put into service. This weapon, a Serbian reproduction of the G98, both designed by Mauser, is one of the most modern rifles to exist, but production of the new rifles will take some time with Serbia’s limited industry.
The young Ottoman Economic Union and Progress Committee, or as everyone calls it YOEUPC (or Youpec) begins trying to stimulate the business of merchants and businessmen from the Jewry in Saloniki. This program actually meets some success and the Jewish members of the community manage to get the stagnate economy in the area slowly turning. YOEUPC had hoped that this slow growth would spread to other regions but unfortunately there was little benefit outside the city and its dependent towns.
The Young Turks also attempt to spread knowledge to the uneducated landworkers along the Euphrates and Tigris. Attempting to sponsor clergymen, intellectuals and local government official’s construction efforts in the region they end up getting mired down. Clergymen don’t understand why they were asked to participating in construction jobs, intellectuals find intelligent ways to make the money paid to them disappear and the local government officials do much the same as the intellectuals, though using bureaucracy to hide their thievery instead of clever bookkeeping. All in all, the project could only be called a failure.
The Sultan’s plans for the Ottoman Empire this year get off to a rough start. A plan to improve and expand on the roads and ports of Constantinople is foiled by the most basic of things, poor signatures. What might have been a useful project never gets off the ground as one of the officials involved in the process couldn’t recognize the signature attached and declared it a forgery. The fate of the orders themselves remains unknown.
The Sultan’s other plan for the year was to conduct a thorough evaluation of the army and all the corps within it. Testing them against a pre-set standard to find if they were in need of further training. Well a number of regiments are found and improved on, it is suspected that an equally large (if not larger) number faked their results to pass the test, worried that there would be harsh punishments instead of improved budget for failure.
The Sultan’s final plan for the year was to begin the production on a grand holiday palace, unfortunately it was also plagued with the same problems as the rest of his plans for the year. Money disappears from the project rapidly, and nothing more than a very basic framework gets built. There are a number of people displeased at this spending especially since they already had other holiday palaces throughout the country.
The Emperor’s new palace…
The Americas
In an effort to increase agricultural production, the Mexican Republic creates a Bank of Agricultural Development, offering low-interest loans to farmers across the country. Some farmers avail of the funds, but many borrowers redirect the loans to pursuits other than agriculture. While small increases in crop yields are noted amongst the few farmers who improved their agricultural equipment, there is also a rise in indebted farmers who, having squandered their loans with no results, are not hesitant to place the blame for their situation on the central government.
The attempt of the Mexican Government to create a Federal Academy for army officers immediately prompts an angry response from the military staff at the Heroico Colegio Militar, the country’s pre-eminent military college. Government officials have responded to criticism by insisting that the new academy was necessary to enhance the loyalty and efficiency of the armed forces. This approach enrages many in the military corps, who feel that their patriotism and professionalism is being questioned. Nevertheless, construction proceeds on the building on the new Federal Academy.
The Argentine Admiralty sends orders to the country’s shipyards, commissioning a massive expansion of the national navy. However, Argentine shipbuilders have neither the skill nor the capacity to fulfill the bulk of the order, and inform the government of the circumstances. Foreign shipyards, principally in the United Kingdom, are awarded the sizeable contracts, and commence work on two light cruisers and one destroyer for the Argentine Navy. The project is expensive, however, and the ships will only be ready in a year’s time.
Moderate improvements to Argentina’s education system are noticed as the country directs new funding to rural schools. Although a better education is now made available to an increasing portion of the inhabitants of the countryside, irregular attendance continues to be a persistent obstacle to attaining the vast and sweeping improvements for which the officials at the Casa Rosada may have hoped.
Inside a school house
“If edicts were reforms, Bogota would be the most prosperous city on Earth” read the opening lines of an article carried in many of the Colombian newspapers, quoting the country’s Minister of Finance. The quote came in response to an edict issued by the president, who simply decreed that the nation’s finances must be improved. The Minister of Finance instructed his officials to wait until further instructions from the Presidential Palace before tampering with the country’s delicate economy.
A new railway is commissioned to link the Buenaventura and Cartagena. Construction begins immediately with the speedy laying of track. A rail link between these port cities would allow cargoes from the Caribbean to be quickly and easily transported to the Pacific Ocean. However, the Liberal opposition in Colombia, believing that the ruling Conservatives secured power through fraudulent elections, not only oppose the railway project but actively sponsor armed rebels in overthrowing the government. As the country spirals towards civil war, insurgents repeatedly raid the railway route, killing track-layers and bringing construction to a halt.
The Dominion of Canada initiates a recruitment campaign, calling upon men to enlist in the Canadian Contingent for the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa. Three-thousand men respond immediately to the call to arms, volunteering not only out of a sense of loyalty to the mother country but also on account of the promise of adventure that war offers. While a steady stream of volunteers continues to enlist, the war in South Africa is decried by Canada’s francophone population. Citing the prevailing sentiments in much of Continental Europe—that the war is an unjust exercise of British aggression—many of Quebec’s political leaders begin a letter-writing campaign to Ottawa speaking against Canadian involvement in such a conflict. Notwithstanding the persistent opposition from Quebec, the Dominion of Canada provides the soldiers with training, as well as furnishes the men with arms and supplies.
Upon the arrival of the Canadian Contingent in South Africa, however, the cost of maintaining the army in the field is borne by the United Kingdom herself. Moreover, arrangements are made to ensure that the Canadian Contingent will accept British strategic leadership whilst exercising independent tactical judgement.
Lt. Colonel William Otter and the Officers of the Canadian Contingent in Cape Town, South Africa
The Government of Canada announces the construction of a naval shipyard adjacent to the Port of Saint John, the dominion’s major port on the Atlantic Coast. The procurement process is opened to American and British firms, who take keen interest in the project. With commitments to work in tandem with Canadian companies, the contract is won by the operators of the Boston Navy Yard. This award is immediately contested by the British Yarrow Shipbuilders Ltd. who raise allegations regarding the discrete payments made by the Massachusetts businessmen to Canadian government officials.
The United States of America signs a series of treaties with Brazil, Korea and Chile. The U.S. Congress, however, refuses to ratify the Treaty of Fortaleza citing the ambiguity of the proposed trade agreement and the unpopular notion of establishing U.S. military bases abroad.
American Artillery Reinforcements brought to the Philippines
Meanwhile, reinforcements are dispatched to the Philippines as the U.S. Army commences methodical operations against the Filipino insurgency. The guerilla tactics employed by the island nationalists, however, prove moderately effective in slowing American progress in securing the countryside. With the insurgents able at one moment to blend in with the local population and at another moment to swiftly take up arms against American soldiers, progress is not as speedy as first anticipated. However, the United States is able to add the entirety of Pampanga River valley to her zone of control, successfully clearing the insurgents from the major waterway. Thus, on the island of Luzon, Filipino nationalists are forced to retreat into the surrounding hillside, where they continue to operate.
Following detailed studies of the many Spanish Mauser Model 93 rifles captured during the Spanish American War, and recalling the deadly effectiveness of the firearm at the Battle of San Juan Hill, the Springfield Armoury in Massachusetts produces a remarkable new bolt-action-rifle, with a prototype displaying exceptional promise.
A schematic of the new rifle
The Venezuelan government contracts a treaty with the Kingdom of the Netherlands, ceding Isla de Toas to the Dutch. The minor copper deposits on the island have been of little use to the Venezuelan state. However, an abundance of largely untapped limestone allows for the future development of a cement manufactory on the island.
A geological survey of the East Coast of Lake Maracaibo confirms what the Venezuelan government has long suspected, that below the petroleum seeps that emerge on the surface rests a sizeable supply of crude oil. The recent civil war, paired with the lack of requisite technology, has hitherto pretended Venezuela from effectively exploiting this valuable resource.
In Chile some oligarchs are determined to acquire wealth from industries outside the mineral sector and seek to transition towards domestic industrial production. Some of the traditional grandees question the decision to turn to from resource extraction to finished goods and look upon the changes with disdain. However, the few oligarchs that make the shift to manufactured goods, with copper wire being the principle good produced, experience an increase in profit, prompting the many sceptics to become more open to the transition towards industrialisation.
Africa and the Colonies
The Boer war gets off to an inauspicious start. The British immediately begin forwarding significant reinforcements to the area, or at least that is what they had hoped to do. Instead reinforcements were hit by delay after delay, and then when they finally did get sent, a large storm struck the reinforcement fleet. Nearly a dozen transport ships are swamped in what is termed a ‘Storm of the Century’ and thousands of british soldiers and sailors are lost to the raging sea. When the troops do arrive they also find much of their cannon was on the ships that sunk, and the disorganized British reinforcements would need a large amount of time to get into shape to fight the Boers.
British Ship run aground after storm
Unfortunately the current commanders in South Africa do not get the news that their reinforcements are in terrible shape and not likely to be of use any time soon. A complete lack of Boer assaults makes the three major commanders in the region get over-confident, and gather up many of their soldiers for a push into Transvaal and the Orange Free State. The three arms of the assault, lead by John French, Ian Humiliation and Robert Baden-Powell respectively, encounter very little resistance for the first few days. Then the the force under John French encounter a force of Boers at Spion Kop, the British forces come under fire from a small battery of field guns that are placed on the hill, and French, eager for a taste of combat, immediately orders his own guns and infantry to engage.
As the British closed they came under sporadic rifle fire from points on the hill, but not enough to dissuade them from continuing their attack. Then as the British neared the base of the hill they suddenly found themselves faced with a veritable wall of rifle fire. The ranks of British troops are quickly reduced to a red mist and quickly begin to withdraw. Their withdrawal quickly turns into a route as Boer troops, who had buried themselves into the ground in positions around the hill pop out of their positions and capture the British field guns and General French. The remaining British forces are taken over by Colonel Malby Crofton who manages to restore some order and withdraw the British Infantry to safety. Well the force was badly damaged in the fighting it was still significant, and withdraws back toward the port of Durban, where the now in charge Colonel plans to halt any Boer counter attack.
Battle of Spion Kop, Boer soldiers
In the North, the force under Baden-Powell ends up briefly skirmishing with Boer forces around Jan Kempdorp, with the fighting coming out inconclusive but the British are forced to withdraw when Boer raiders strike out at Baden-Powell’s supply lines and leave his troops running low on ammunition. He returns to Kimberly and begins to establish defensive positions around the town, content to wait till reinforcements arrive from the South.
In the Center the force under General Humiliation live up to their Generals name. His forces reach the outskirts of Bloemfontein before they encounter the majority of the Boer forces. Outnumbered nearly 2 to 1, and fighting against prepared positions the British had no chance. They end up entirely surrounded by Boer forces within the first few hours, and the remaining combat is the British trying to hold out long enough to make a breakthrough and escape. They never manage to secure a breakthrough and by the end of the day, what British forces are still alive surrender when General Humiliation is felled by a Boer sniper.
British dead for General Humiliation’s loss
With the British forces in disarray, the Boer’s began front wide counter attack. Tens of thousands of Boer forces push over the border and assault the now depleted forts, quickly overruning British positions in the East, and surrounding Colonel Crofton’s barely 7,000 man rapidly depleting force in Durban. The city of Queenstown finds itself surrounded by Boer forces, but not subject to siege, as Boer forces in the area focus on just denying resources to the forces there and keeping their mobility. Well in the North there is much the same, though Kimberly does find itself surrounded by something closer to a picket line then a siege. Just enough troops to keep the British from trying to break out, but not enough to even attempt a push of the city. Most of the Boer forces in the area deciding to remain mobile like their central compatriot.
Asia
The Chinese government quickly issues orders calling for all able bodied men to report for the defense against the European powers. This order was fairly successful in raising men, yet resulted in the general quality of these new recruits to be very shoddy. These men were armed with any tools that the Chinese were able to scrounge and thus the effectiveness of the new recruits is debateable.
The Chinese government, anticipating a European offensive to relieve the international legations in Beijing begins fortifying areas around the concessions. The fortifications constructed are decent by European standards and will make any assault on Beijing and the concessions difficult.
The Chinese government, after antagonizing most of the west attempts to find contacts for military equipment. After some suspicious Italians approach the Chinese liaisons with contracts for “very special weapons”, the Chinese immediately accept. These “very special weapons” turn out to be not more than pointy sticks. Unfortunately, the Chinese paid for these “weapons” first and the Italians were nowhere to be found after the delivery of these “weapons”
The Boxers begins recruitment campaigns even though the fundamental problem with the Boxers is their failure to be able to officer their troops. This recruitment campaign however is much more successful than the Qing attempt in attracting more troops. The quality of the newly recruited troops is debateable but these troops may prove useful in overwhelming the Europeans.
[ceneter]
Boxer recruits.[/center]
The Boxers attempt to train their troops in urban warfare and guerrilla tactics. It is widely known that training troops during a war is difficult and training the mass of newly recruited troops in urban warfare and guerrilla tactics is extremely difficult. The training eventually falls apart due to the lack of officers to train troops and the inability for most of the Boxer army to comprehend “urban warfare” and “guerrilla tactics” in such a short timespan when they are needed as cannon fodder on the battlefields.
The signing of The Agreement of Amity and Peace proceeds without any disruption. The lower tariff rate spurs on trade between Japan and Germany whilst the German advisors do arrive in Japan with the ordered weapons.These weapons undoubtedly make the Japanese army one of the most well-equipped in Asia, but it remains to be seen if these weapons will have immediate effect. The Japanese government also purchases 150 Canon de 75 modèle 1897, from France to further equip their nation.
It is widely known that German and Japanese people are one of the most prideful people on the Earth. This resulted in conflict between the Japanese officers, who were told to supervise the German advisers closely instead of aiding them with the training. The details of what exactly happened is unknown but the information released by the German advisers included the Japanese officers saying words such as “monkey” “inferior” “Germans”. Regardless, the Japanese troops had no training due to this incident as the German advisers were sent home by the Japanese government as they took the side of the Japanese officers. It is clear that German and Japanese relations has taken a turn for the worse.
The Japanese government begins work on improving its education system. However, a simple mistake by the lawmakers result in the adding of a 0 at the end of a 6, thus extending the compulsory attendance in schools to 60 years. Of course, no one notices the mistake as the lawmakers are too proud over their glorious bill. What they are not proud of, is the result. No new students sign up for schools this year due to the extension of the compulsory attendance while most of the existing students quit in disgust of this new law.
Subsidies are increased across the board for zaibatsus in Japan. Mitsubishi was given preferential treatment with orders to expand opium trading in China which was a foolish decision given the situation. Regardless, Japanese industry expands with the increased government support and also investments from former elites and daimyo who were encouraged by the Japanese government to invest in Japanese industry.
Japanese infrastructure is improved with hefty investment from the government with roads and railways being expanded around the nation. This infrastructure was focused around Japanese industry, which helped with reducing costs for prospective factory owners to expand their factory or open one in Japan.
The Gwangmu Reform was continued by the Korean government by the purchase of weapons from some very suspicious Canadians. These Canadians offered some “very special weapons” that they said was for a “special” price. Like the Qing, the Korean liaisons were fooled. The weapons delivered this time were not simply pointy sticks, but pointy sticks attached to other pointy sticks. Regardless of this foolishness, the Korean government did hire some foreign advisers which would be the basis of some improvement in the Korean army.
The Nagato Accords of 1899 was signed by the Empire of Korea. This treaty thus promptly reduced tariffs for Japanese goods entering Korea. While this did ensure more trade between Japan and Korea, Japanese influence within Korea expanded greatly, especially with the arrival of Japanese troops in Korea. The future of Korea remains uncertain with the Japanese Empire at its doorstep.
The Boxer Rebellion
Once the news of the Chinese attacks on the Legations Quarter in Peking reached the capitals of the Great Powers of the West, public reaction was explosive, if not close to anarchic; thousands of men joined the militaries of their respective nations, and jingoism ran at an all-time high with protests and marches breaking out in nearly every major city. The majority of nations that owned a legation in Peking -- the Russian, Japanese, German Empires, the United Kingdom, France, and the United States, along with the Netherlands and even Canada -- organized an international relief force composed of troops from every nation. Dubbed the Eight Nation Alliance, though Canada’s contribution was minimal in comparison to the commitments of the other nations, the force numbered over 80,000 men, from Russian Cossacks and German Marines to British Gurkhas and the French Foreign Legion. A squadron of the Imperial Japanese Navy, the Russian Far East Fleet, and the German East Asia Squadron would provide immediate fire support for the planned landings of this massive force, and would soon be reinforced by the ships of the Dutch East Indies Fleet, the French Indochinese Squadron and the British China Station.
Major General Alfred Gaselee, commanding officer of the British expedition and commander of the Eight Nation army, hoped to land his troops at the city of Tianjin, where the allied troops could then march to Peking to lift the siege of the International Legations. His decision was supported by German Colonel General von Waldersee and American Brigadier General Adna Chaffee; the Dutch, Russian, Japanese, and French commanders all disagreed, but eventually consented to launching the attack here.
A picture of General Gaselee shortly before he was appointed commander of the British expedition
The first obstacle of the Western and Japanese troops, however, were the heavily-fortified and garrisoned Taku Forts on the Hai River outside of Tianjin. The Japanese, Russian, and German warships on station began a two-day bombardment of the forts -- with the French and British fleets arriving the second day, and the Dutch arriving the day after -- to soften up the fort. However, wind was blowing out into the Bohai Sea, so the smoke of the allied guns obscured the view of the gunners. Destroyers and cruisers that attempted to move closer to shore to spot for the gunners of the heavier warships were subsequently targeted by the Chinese guns, with several destroyers even being sunk.
Despite this, General Gaselee ordered the landings to commence. On June 16, 1900, the attack began. The first wave of troops were composed of the British and French contingents. Landing under extremely heavy fire, and with the combined fleet offshore continuing to ineffectively shell the Chinese positions, casualties were very high, particularly for the French. To relieve the pressure on the British and French troops, the Germans and Russians landed to the north instead, marching south towards the forts under significantly less fire. With progress excruciatingly slow, General Chaffee requested to General Gaselee that his American troops be deployed; General Fukushima also asked to deploy his own forces. The Americans and Japanese landed together -- just 300 yards south of the forts, which continued to lay down a furious fire -- and immediately advanced amid withering musket-and-cannon fire. At this point the Dutch contingent had arrived offshore, and immediately began to deploy. The Qing troops and their Boxer compatriots in the forts were astounded at the determination of the American and Japanese troops, who, side-by-side, continued to march toward the Chinese positions without hesitation. The French and British troops, despite having taken very heavy casualties, had rallied and, supported by Dutch reinforcements, began a second advance to the West of the Americans and Japanese. The Russians and Germans, too, pressed the attack from the North, even after Russian General Linevich was wounded leading his men from the front. As the first waves of the allied troops began to pour over the outer fortifications of the fort, the poorly-led and equipped Boxers began to rout. The German and Russian troops quickly pushed West, cutting off many of the retreating Chinese, pouring fire into their ranks and capturing the few that survived. The Qing troops, most of them armed with at least an oudated musket, took a stand against the rest of the landing forces, though they too were soon wiped out. Of the 7,000 Chinese troops that had garrisoned the forts, just 2,000 were taken prisoner. Only several hundred managed to escape. The next day, the Canadian supply company arrived -- though small in number -- and helped to treat the several hundred wounded men, particularly their British companions, who had received the brunt of the Chinese cannonfire.
German reinforcements landing shortly after the end of the battle
With a foothold on Chinese soil established, the Qing leadership wanted to strike back at the Eight Nation Alliance. Organizing nearly the entirety of the Imperial Fleet in Shanghai, they sailed North on June 23 and found the combined fleet anchored off the shore of Tianjin. Quickly mobilizing and moving into battle formation, the Russian Far East Fleet, the largest of the fleets, moved out at the head of the column, followed, in order, by the British, French, Dutch, Japanese, and German ships. Admiral Alekseyev was supremely confident in the ability of his men; for indeed, the Imperial Russian Navy was one of the best on the face of the earth. However, he was surprised at the ferocity of the Chinese ships; even the fifteen year-old battleships closed the distance extremely quickly, braving the massive plumes of water that shot up from the 11- and 12-inch shells of the Eight Nation battleships. The Russians gave the Chinese a wide berth, steaming north so as to get out of range of the old Chinese guns. The British, Dutch, Japanese, and Germans followed suit; the latter had to disengage entirely due to malfunctioning of their flagship, SMS Hertha. The French admiral, however, lacked this vision, steaming out of line and directly into the sights of the damaged, albeit still seaworthy, Chinese warships. Here it was brutal; despite the continuing destructive fire of the rest of the fleet, the French suffered greatly under the strength of the Chinese guns; one light cruiser nearly disintegrated when a shell penetrated her deck and exploded her main magazine (the only loss suffered by the fleet that day), and every other ship was damaged to some degree, ranging from knocked-out turrets to an inoperable engine. By the time Admiral Alekseyev ordered the rest of the fleet to close the distance once again in an effort to save the French warships, it was too late, as the damaged had been done. Despite the damage of the French warships, both Chinese battleships were so severely damaged that they were scuttled before they could be boarded by British Marines; another armored cruiser had been sunk, along with three light cruisers and half a dozen destroyers. The tattered remains of the fleet withdrew back to Shanghai. The Russians, though they had not suffered any losses, were all still damaged to varying degrees; the Far East Fleet’s own flagship, Petropavlosk, was heavily damaged, and the Fleet had to return to port at Vladivostok for the rest of the year. The French Indochinese Squadron was allowed to dock at the Japanese port of Kure for repairs, and were similarly out of service for the rest of 1900.
The Japanese battleships opening fire at the Battle of the Bohai Sea
At this point, however, the 84,000 troops of the so-called Gaselee Expedition had already departed Tianjin, headed for the ultimate goal of the conflict: Peking. Here, the Legations of the Western nations and Japan were holding on by the skin of their teeth in the face of a massive siege conducted by over 50,000 Qing and Boxer troops. Gaselee divided his forces into two “wings”: the “Southern Wing”, composed of French, British, American, and Japanese troops, under his own command, and the “Northern Wing” of German, Russian, and Dutch troops. The Canadian medical and supply soldiers were divided up between the two wings. The Southern Wing was the first to see combat, about 20 miles Southwest of Wuqing. Here, a force of 70,000 Qing and Boxer soldiers under the command of Prince Duan had both been dispatched from Peking to halt the advance of the Eight Nation troops; here, again, the French and British forces suffered particularly heavy casualties, and were quickly relieved by a countercharge from the American and Japanese units, who yet again forced the Chinese into flight. The same day, the smaller Northern Wing encountered over 60,000 Chinese moving at them with haste; setting up hasty defenses in just an hour, they made their stand several miles South of Baodi; when the initial attacks were blunted by German, Russian, and Dutch cannon, they quickly counterattacked, yet again driving the Qing from the field. On June 28 the forward scouts of the Eight Nation army reported back to their generals the heavy fortifications around the city of Peking, constructed with the intent of maintaining the siege of the Legations and keeping the relief force out of the city. Realizing that time was short, Gaselee ordered an advance to the outskirts of the city; however, he could not attack just yet. Though the supply train -- and the Canadians -- were doing their best to keep the relief force supplied, casualties were beginning to mount because of the constant fighting and skirmishes, particularly among the French and British ranks, which suffered the highest casualties of all the nations at both the Taku Forts and outside of Wuqing. Still, the forces began to take up positions outside of the Chinese fortifications around the city of Peking in the South and East, preparing for an all-out assault. Expecting no reinforcements until perhaps next year, Gaselee’s men settled in quickly, constructing some earthworks and bombarding the Chinese fortifications. Meanwhile, just a couple miles away, the defenders of the Legations continued to hold out, against all odds, against the thousands of besiegers they faced.
A Japanese artist’s interpretation of the Battle of Wuqing
Meanwhile, the Qing and Boxers hoped to force the Western powers from their concessions. First an assault was launched on the German concession at Tsingtao in late June; the standard German garrison, however, was reinforced with 500 Marines in late May and, despite facing almost 10,000 attackers, managed to hold their ground amid heavy casualties; supporting fire from the German East Asia Squadron and a smattering of other ships from the combined fleet helped the Germans hold their positions. The attack was called off, however, when news of the arrival of the Eight Nation Alliance army at Peking was received, with the troops withdrawn to help aid in the defense of the Imperial capital.
Similarly, at Port Arthur, the small Russian garrison there came under a brutal attack by thousands of Chinese troops, the large majority of them Boxers. With barely hundreds of them armed with proper rifles and muskets -- most of them, instead, armed with farming equipment or sharpened sticks -- many of them were gunned down by the trained gun- and cannon-fire of the Russian contingent. This siege, too, was called off for its futility, as Peking was threatened by the advance of the enemy relief force.
The Russian garrison, with several British Marines, fend off the Chinese attack at Port Arthur
Despite the cooperation of Qing and Boxer forces in the North and East, the state of affairs was quite different in the South; the Boxers, who had threatened public and political stability in the region, were strongly opposed by the Southern Qing regional governors. Fighting even began to break out between Qing garrisons in the cities and roaming Boxer forces that were in the process of hunting down both Chinese Christians and Westerners alike.
Other Events Around the World
Late 1899:
The New York Zoological Society opens the Bronx Zoological Park to the public in New York City.
The American Line's SS St. Paul becomes the first ocean liner to report her imminent arrival by wireless telegraphy when Marconi's station at The Needles contacts her 66 nautical miles (122 km) off the coast of England.
1900:
The international arbitration court at The Hague is created when the Netherlands' Senate ratifies an 1899 peace conference decree.
Botanist Hugo de Vries rediscovers Mendel's Laws of Heredity.
The Gold Standard Act is ratified, placing the United States currency on the gold standard.
American temperance agitator Carrie Nation begins her crusade to demolish saloons.
The first zeppelin flight is carried out over Lake Constance near Friedrichshafen, Germany.
King Umberto I of Italy is assassinated by the Italian-born anarchist Gaetano Bresci.
The 1900 Galveston hurricane kills about 8,000 people.
Max Planck announces his discovery of the law of black body emission, marking the birth of quantum physics.
First Michelin Guide published in France.
The 1900 Olympics in Paris to be published separately
The United States of America
Treasury: -8,712,365,074
Income: 28,533,747,075
Gross Domestic Product: 363,594,581,095
Debt to GDP: 2.40%
Loan Payments: 325,474,555
Loan Interest Rate: 3.74%
Population: 78,391,000
Colonial Population: 434,366
Total Population: 78,825,366
Literacy: 91.34%
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Average
Corruption: 5%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 45.22%
Industrial: 39.39%
Goods and Services: 15.39%
Infrastructure: 22
Infrastructure Spread: 90.00%
Colonial Infrastructure: 6
Economic Stability: Stable
Economic Condition: Stable Growth
Blockaded: No
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Excellent
Army Tech (Year): 1895
Regulars: 35,000
Conscripts: -
Navy
Navy Quality: Great
Navy Tech (Year): 1897 [+2 in 3 turns]
Predreadnought Battleships: 9
Armored Cruisers: 3
Light Cruisers: 13
Destroyers: 23
Coastal Gunboats: 34
Transport Flotillas: 5
Leader: President William McKinley
Player 1: Terraferma Republicans *
Player 2: Videonfan Democrats
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
Treasury: -46,030,959,477
Income: 19,379,153,138
Gross Domestic Product: 172,448,818,267
Debt to GDP: 26.69%
Loan Payments: 2,485,852,894
Loan Interest Rate: 5.40%
Population: 41,538,000
Colonial Population: 60,690,000
Total Population: 102,228,000
Literacy: 85.76%
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Stable
Corruption: 5%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 21.97%
Industrial: 50.91%
Goods and Services: 27.12%
Infrastructure: 24
Infrastructure Spread: 95.00%
Colonial Infrastructure: 16
Economic Stability: Above Average
Economic Condition: Stable Growth
Blockaded: No
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Great
Army Tech (Year): 1895
Regulars: 130,000
Conscripts: -
Navy
Navy Quality: Great
Navy Tech (Year): 1900
Predreadnought Battleships: 45 [+4 in 2 turns, +4 in 3 turns]
Armored Cruisers: 34
Light Cruisers: 109 [+6 in 1 turn]
Destroyers: 96
Coastal Gunboats: 120
Transport Flotillas: 45
Leader: Queen Victoria
Player 1: Watercress Tories *
Player 2: Frymonmon Liberals
The French Republic
Treasury: -72,857,391,708
Income: 8,905,101,094
Gross Domestic Product: 91,497,212,024
Debt to GDP: 79.63%
Loan Payments: 5,596,805,087
Loan Interest Rate: 7.68%
Population: 40,598,000
Colonial Population: 64,981,000
Total Population: 105,579,000
Literacy: 85.08%
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Stable
Corruption: 5%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 46.68%
Industrial: 30.77%
Goods and Services: 22.55%
Infrastructure: 21
Infrastructure Spread: 80.00%
Colonial Infrastructure: 13
Economic Stability: Above Average
Economic Condition: Stable Growth
Blockaded: No
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Good
Army Tech (Year): 1897
Regulars: 538,000
Conscripts: -
Navy
Navy Quality: Good
Navy Tech (Year): 1897
Predreadnought Battleships: 11
Armored Cruisers: 7
Light Cruisers: 32
Destroyers: 28
Coastal Gunboats: 43
Transport Flotillas: 25
Leader: President Émile Loubet
Player 1: Sealy300 Left *
Player 2: Fingon Right
The German Empire
Treasury: -6,451,857,003
Income: 15,548,566,504
Gross Domestic Product: 141,652,155,861
Debt to GDP: 4.55%
Loan Payments: 290,815,761
Loan Interest Rate: 4.51%
Population: 54,388,000
Colonial Population: 10,600,000
Total Population: 64,988,000
Literacy: 88.46%
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Stable
Corruption: 5%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 41.75%
Industrial: 43.95%
Goods and Services: 14.30%
Infrastructure: 22
Infrastructure Spread: 90.00%
Colonial Infrastructure: 8 [+2 in 4 turns]
Economic Stability: Strong
Economic Condition: Stable Growth
Blockaded: No
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Good
Army Tech (Year): 1900
Regulars: 495,000
Conscripts: -
Navy
Navy Quality: Good
Navy Tech (Year): 1897
Predreadnought Battleships: 9 [+4 in 2 turns, +4 in 3 turns]
Armored Cruisers: 4 [+4 in 1 turns, +4 in 2 turns]
Light Cruisers: 14 [+7 in 1 turns, +7 in 2 turns]
Destroyers: 20 [+20 in 1 turn]
Coastal Gunboats: 39 [+41 in 1 turn]
Transport Flotillas: 7
Leader: Kaiser Wilhelm II
Player 1: MastahCheef117 Kaiser *
Player 2: LatinKaiser Kanzler
The Austro-Hungarian Empire
Treasury: -52,893,515,153
Income: 7,028,895,716
Gross Domestic Product: 69,768,724,231
Debt to GDP: 75.81%
Loan Payments: 4,103,168,584
Loan Interest Rate: 7.76%
Population: 44,745,763
Colonial Population: 0
Total Population: 44,745,763
Literacy: 65.02%
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Stable
Corruption: 15%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 73.13%
Industrial: 12.96%
Goods and Services: 13.91%
Infrastructure: 19 [+2 in 2 turns]
Infrastructure Spread: 80.00% [+10% in 2 turns]
Colonial Infrastructure: 8
Economic Stability: Above Average
Economic Condition: Stable Growth
Blockaded: No
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Below Average
Army Tech (Year): 1890
Regulars: 137,000
Conscripts: 200,000
Navy
Navy Quality: Average
Navy Tech (Year): 1895
Predreadnought Battleships: 5
Armored Cruisers: 1
Light Cruisers: 5
Destroyers: 8
Coastal Gunboats: 14
Transport Flotillas: 6
Leader: Emperor Franz Joseph I
Player 1: Thoctar Austria *
Player 2: AsdfeZxcas Hungary
The Kingdom of Italy
Treasury: -39,089,803,871
Income: 3,496,502,443
Gross Domestic Product: 44,315,674,776
Debt to GDP: 88.21%
Loan Payments: 3,066,952,343
Loan Interest Rate: 7.85%
Population: 33,672,000
Colonial Population: 400,000
Total Population: 34,072,000
Literacy: 54.21%
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Stable
Corruption: 20%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 64.35%
Industrial: 17.25%
Goods and Services: 18.40%
Infrastructure: 20
Infrastructure Spread: 75.00%
Colonial Infrastructure: 11
Economic Stability: Above Average
Economic Condition: Stable Growth
Blockaded: No
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Average
Army Tech (Year): 1895
Regulars: 120,000
Conscripts: -
Navy
Navy Quality: Good
Navy Tech (Year): 1895
Predreadnought Battleships: 5
Armored Cruisers: 5
Light Cruisers: 12
Destroyers: 13
Coastal Gunboats: 31
Transport Flotillas: 5
Leader: King Victor Emmanuel III
Player 1: matth34 Right *
Player 2: nachopontmercy Left
The Ottoman Empire
Treasury: -25,514,136,797
Income: -1,519,730,830
Gross Domestic Product: 17,486,532,374
Debt to GDP: 145.91%
Loan Payments: 2,280,759,491
Loan Interest Rate: 8.94%
Population: 18,124,000
Colonial Population: 0
Total Population: 18,124,000
Literacy: 51.98%
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Stable
Corruption: 50%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 83.44%
Industrial: 1.04%
Goods and Services: 15.52%
Infrastructure: 18
Infrastructure Spread: 75.00%
Colonial Infrastructure: -
Economic Stability: Strong
Economic Condition: Slow Growth
Blockaded: No
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Above Average
Army Tech (Year): 1888
Regulars: 65,000
Conscripts: -
Navy
Navy Quality: Critical
Navy Tech (Year): 1877
Predreadnought Battleships: 1
Armored Cruisers: 1
Light Cruisers: 2
Destroyers: 4
Coastal Gunboats: 16
Transport Flotillas: 4
Leader: Sultan Abdulhamid II
Player 1: Shynka Sultan/Court *
Player 2: XVG Young Turks
The Russian Empire
Treasury: -66,326,831,456
Income: 9,912,197,898
Gross Domestic Product: 123,033,729,359
Debt to GDP: 53.91%
Loan Payments: 4,359,138,814
Loan Interest Rate: 6.57%
Population: 124,500,000
Colonial Population: 0
Total Population: 124,500,000
Literacy: 66.91%
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Stable
Corruption: 40%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 79.02%
Industrial: 16.58%
Goods and Services: 4.39%
Infrastructure: 19
Infrastructure Spread: 75.00%
Colonial Infrastructure: -
Economic Stability: Stable
Economic Condition: Stable Growth
Blockaded: No
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Below Average
Army Tech (Year): 1897
Regulars: 133,000
Conscripts: 900,000
Navy
Navy Quality: Average
Navy Tech (Year): 1895
Predreadnought Battleships: 15
Armored Cruisers: 10
Light Cruisers: 6
Destroyers: 20
Coastal Gunboats: 30
Transport Flotillas: 3
Leader: Tsar Nicolas II
Player 1: Noco Tsar *
Player 2: Bonecracker (Dutchbag) Military
The Empire of Japan
Treasury: -7,594,129,406
Income: 11,815,675,032
Gross Domestic Product: 55,466,190,083
Debt to GDP: 13.69%
Loan Payments: 365,060,690
Loan Interest Rate: 4.81%
Population: 44,103,000
Colonial Population: 2,794,000
Total Population: 46,897,000
Literacy: 94.59% [-5% Literacy in 3 turns]
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Stable
Corruption: 15%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 81.59%
Industrial: 9.68%
Goods and Services: 8.73%
Infrastructure: 19 [+2 in 3 turns]
Infrastructure Spread: 85.00%
Colonial Infrastructure: 6
Economic Stability: Above Average
Economic Condition: Stable Growth
Blockaded: No
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Above Average
Army Tech (Year): 1888
Regulars: 200,000
Conscripts: 300,000
Navy
Navy Quality: Good
Navy Tech (Year): 1895
Predreadnought Battleships: 9
Armored Cruisers: 2
Light Cruisers: 15
Destroyers: 18
Coastal Gunboats: 32
Transport Flotillas: 15
Leader: Emperor Meiji
Player 1: Riccardo93 Civilian *
Player 2: Plutonium95 Military
The Qing Empire
Treasury: -267,668,108,157
Income: -34,850,691,945
Gross Domestic Product: 15,263,575,099
Debt to GDP: 1753.64%
Loan Payments: 34,654,798,223
Loan Interest Rate: 12.95%
Population: 402,243,000
Colonial Population: 0
Total Population: 402,243,000
Literacy: 24.50%
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Stable
Corruption: 65%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 85.68%
Industrial: 0.66%
Goods and Services: 13.66%
Infrastructure: 10
Infrastructure Spread: 60.00%
Colonial Infrastructure: -
Economic Stability: Below Average
Economic Condition: Slow Growth
Blockaded: Full
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Terrible
Army Tech (Year): 1877
Regulars: 200,000
Conscripts: 710,000
Navy
Navy Quality: Critical
Navy Tech (Year): 1884
Predreadnought Battleships: 0
Armored Cruisers: 1
Light Cruisers: 7
Destroyers: 8
Coastal Gunboats: 27
Transport Flotillas: 8
Leader: Empress Cixi
Player 1: Maxwell500 Empress Cixi *
Player 2: jeeshadow The Righteous and Harmonious Fists (The Boxers)
The Kingdom of Belgium
Treasury: -8,133,578,970
Income: 523,018,576
Gross Domestic Product: 16,876,514,734
Debt to GDP: 48.19%
Loan Payments: 483,241,967
Loan Interest Rate: 5.94%
Population: 6,719,000
Colonial Population: 4,103,000
Total Population: 10,822,000
Literacy: 82.69%
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Stable
Corruption: 5%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 36.30%
Industrial: 55.71%
Goods and Services: 7.99%
Infrastructure: 24
Infrastructure Spread: 100.00%
Colonial Infrastructure: 6
Economic Stability: Above Average
Economic Condition: Stable Growth
Blockaded: No
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Above Average
Army Tech (Year): 1895
Regulars: 54,600
Conscripts: -
Navy
Navy Quality: Good
Navy Tech (Year): 1890
Predreadnought Battleships: 0
Armored Cruisers: 0
Light Cruisers: 2
Destroyers: 3
Coastal Gunboats: 13
Transport Flotillas: 3
Leader: King Léopold II
Player 1: Somberg *
Player 2: NPC
The Kingdom of the Netherlands
Treasury: -7,247,345,990
Income: 2,822,169,268
Gross Domestic Product: 11,412,128,038
Debt to GDP: 63.51%
Loan Payments: 504,438,465
Loan Interest Rate: 6.96%
Population: 5,142,000
Colonial Population: 130,000
Total Population: 5,272,000
Literacy: 85.39%
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Stable
Corruption: 5%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 64.23%
Industrial: 10.66%
Goods and Services: 25.10%
Infrastructure: 21
Infrastructure Spread: 80.00%
Colonial Infrastructure: 8
Economic Stability: Above Average
Economic Condition: Stable Growth
Blockaded: No
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Good
Army Tech (Year): 1895
Regulars: 35,000
Conscripts: -
Navy
Navy Quality: Good
Navy Tech (Year): 1895
Predreadnought Battleships: 3
Armored Cruisers: 3
Light Cruisers: 8
Destroyers: 12
Coastal Gunboats: 23
Transport Flotillas: 7
Leader: Queen Wilhelmina
Player 1: jcucc *
Player 2: NPC
The Kingdom of Spain
Treasury: -28,018,316,829
Income: 42,819,138
Gross Domestic Product: 23,292,302,781
Debt to GDP: 120.29%
Loan Payments: 2,498,957,148
Loan Interest Rate: 8.92%
Population: 18,566,000
Colonial Population: 2,184,000
Total Population: 20,750,000
Literacy: 64.04%
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Stable
Corruption: 35%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 79.87%
Industrial: 2.73%
Goods and Services: 17.39%
Infrastructure: 19
Infrastructure Spread: 80.00%
Colonial Infrastructure: 6
Economic Stability: Above Average
Economic Condition: Stable Growth
Blockaded: No
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Average
Army Tech (Year): 1890
Regulars: 30,000
Conscripts: -
Navy
Navy Quality: Poor
Navy Tech (Year): 1880
Predreadnought Battleships: 1
Armored Cruisers: 4
Light Cruisers: 6
Destroyers: 7
Coastal Gunboats: 16
Transport Flotillas: 3
Leader: King Alfonso XIII
Player 1: bakerydog *
Player 2: NPC
The Kingdom of Portugal
Treasury: -3,010,697,486
Income: 202,878,560
Gross Domestic Product: 5,669,230,902
Debt to GDP: 53.11%
Loan Payments: 210,155,356
Loan Interest Rate: 6.98%
Population: 5,404,000
Colonial Population: 6,676,000
Total Population: 12,080,000
Literacy: 60.66%
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Stable
Corruption: 35%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 76.81%
Industrial: 4.83%
Goods and Services: 18.36%
Infrastructure: 18
Infrastructure Spread: 80.00%
Colonial Infrastructure: -
Economic Stability: Above Average
Economic Condition: Stable Growth
Blockaded: No
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Average
Army Tech (Year): 1888
Regulars: 30,000
Conscripts: -
Navy
Navy Quality: Bad
Navy Tech (Year): 1880
Predreadnought Battleships: 0
Armored Cruisers: 2
Light Cruisers: 3
Destroyers: 3
Coastal Gunboats: 8
Transport Flotillas: 2
Leader: King Carlos
Player 1: naxhi24 *
Player 2: NPC
The Kingdom of Sweden-Norway
Treasury: -367,086,073
Income: 1,774,545,718
Gross Domestic Product: 9,360,796,443
Debt to GDP: 3.92%
Loan Payments: 18,234,826
Loan Interest Rate: 4.97%
Population: 5,117,000
Colonial Population: 0
Total Population: 5,117,000
Literacy: 92.30%
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Stable
Corruption: 5%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 63.27%
Industrial: 24.17%
Goods and Services: 12.56%
Infrastructure: 20
Infrastructure Spread: 65.00%
Colonial Infrastructure: -
Economic Stability: Average
Economic Condition: Stable Growth
Blockaded: No
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Good
Army Tech (Year): 1890
Regulars: 25,000
Conscripts: -
Navy
Navy Quality: Good
Navy Tech (Year): 1895
Predreadnought Battleships: 6
Armored Cruisers: 4
Light Cruisers: 5
Destroyers: 12
Coastal Gunboats: 34
Transport Flotillas: 1
Leader: King Oscar II
Player 1: Duke of Britain *
Player 2: NPC
The Kingdom of Serbia
Treasury: -885,892,651
Income: 294,621,046
Gross Domestic Product: 2,450,666,701
Debt to GDP: 36.15%
Loan Payments: 53,078,072
Loan Interest Rate: 5.99%
Population: 2,470,000
Colonial Population: 0
Total Population: 2,470,000
Literacy: 80.19%
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Stable
Corruption: 20%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 81.88%
Industrial: 3.53%
Goods and Services: 14.59%
Infrastructure: 18
Infrastructure Spread: 65.00%
Colonial Infrastructure: -
Economic Stability: Above Average
Economic Condition: Stable Growth
Blockaded: No
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Bad
Army Tech (Year): 1888
Regulars: 15,000
Conscripts: -
Navy
Navy Quality: Poor
Navy Tech (Year): 1770
Predreadnought Battleships: 0
Armored Cruisers: 0
Light Cruisers: 0
Destroyers: 0
Coastal Gunboats: 0
Transport Flotillas: 0
Leader: King Alexander I
Player 1: Dadarian *
Player 2: NPC
The Kingdom of Greece
Treasury: -4,652,336,100
Income: -356,664,488
Gross Domestic Product: 2,183,559,492
Debt to GDP: 213.06%
Loan Payments: 604,450,475
Loan Interest Rate: 12.99%
Population: 4,962,000
Colonial Population: 0
Total Population: 4,962,000
Literacy: 55.17%
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Stable
Corruption: 30%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 81.90%
Industrial: 2.59%
Goods and Services: 15.51%
Infrastructure: 17
Infrastructure Spread: 65.00%
Colonial Infrastructure: -
Economic Stability: Above Average
Economic Condition: Stable Growth
Blockaded: No
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Poor
Army Tech (Year): 1873
Regulars: 15,000
Conscripts: -
Navy
Navy Quality: Great
Navy Tech (Year): 1895
Predreadnought Battleships: 0
Armored Cruisers: 0
Light Cruisers: 1
Destroyers: 0
Coastal Gunboats: 5
Transport Flotillas: 1
Leader: King George
Player 1: Spectre17 *
Player 2: NPC
The Principality of Bulgaria
Treasury: -985,263,732
Income: 208,169,874
Gross Domestic Product: 2,953,515,499
Debt to GDP: 33.36%
Loan Payments: 59,014,643
Loan Interest Rate: 5.99%
Population: 4,000,000
Colonial Population: 0
Total Population: 4,000,000
Literacy: 30.62%
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Stable
Corruption: 30%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 84.68%
Industrial: 2.17%
Goods and Services: 13.14%
Infrastructure: 18 [+1 in 2 turns]
Infrastructure Spread: 80.00%
Colonial Infrastructure: -
Economic Stability: Stable
Economic Condition: Stable Growth
Blockaded: No
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Poor [+5% in 2 turns]
Army Tech (Year): 1890
Regulars: 26,000
Conscripts: -
Navy
Navy Quality: Poor
Navy Tech (Year): 1877
Predreadnought Battleships: 0
Armored Cruisers: 0
Light Cruisers: 0
Destroyers: 0
Coastal Gunboats: 3
Transport Flotillas: 0
Leader: Prince Ferdinand
Player 1: Baboshreturns *
Player 2: NPC
The Tsardom of Romania
Treasury: -1,696,283,776
Income: 552,754,566
Gross Domestic Product: 5,955,179,323
Debt to GDP: 28.48%
Loan Payments: 101,425,790
Loan Interest Rate: 5.98%
Population: 6,000,000
Colonial Population: 0
Total Population: 6,000,000
Literacy: 60.00%
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Stable
Corruption: 25%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 85.76%
Industrial: 1.24%
Goods and Services: 13.00%
Infrastructure: 16 [+1 in 4 turns]
Infrastructure Spread: 80.00%
Colonial Infrastructure: -
Economic Stability: Above Average
Economic Condition: Stable Growth
Blockaded: No
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Poor
Army Tech (Year): 1884
Regulars: 55,000
Conscripts: -
Navy
Navy Quality: Poor
Navy Tech (Year): 1877
Predreadnought Battleships: 0
Armored Cruisers: 0
Light Cruisers: 0
Destroyers: 0
Coastal Gunboats: 3
Transport Flotillas: 0
Leader: King Carol I
Player 1: aedan777 *
Player 2: NPC
The Republic of Chile
Treasury: -1,009,913,473
Income: 455,511,209
Gross Domestic Product: 5,307,049,254
Debt to GDP: 19.03%
Loan Payments: 50,309,318
Loan Interest Rate: 4.98%
Population: 2,959,000
Colonial Population: 0
Total Population: 2,959,000
Literacy: 60.68%
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Stable
Corruption: 15%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 85.55%
Industrial: 7.17%
Goods and Services: 7.29%
Infrastructure: 18
Infrastructure Spread: 80.00%
Colonial Infrastructure: -
Economic Stability: Average
Economic Condition: Stable Growth
Blockaded: No
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Good
Army Tech (Year): 1895
Regulars: 40,000
Conscripts: -
Navy
Navy Quality: Above Average
Navy Tech (Year): 1895
Predreadnought Battleships: 2
Armored Cruisers: 3
Light Cruisers: 11
Destroyers: 6
Coastal Gunboats: 12
Transport Flotillas: 3
Leader: President Federico Errázuriz Echaurren
Player 1: Deaghaidh *
Player 2: NPC
The Republic of Argentina
Treasury: -9,259,438,356
Income: 1,640,728,116
Gross Domestic Product: 19,732,271,063
Debt to GDP: 46.93%
Loan Payments: 549,213,462
Loan Interest Rate: 5.93%
Population: 4,693,000
Colonial Population: 0
Total Population: 4,693,000
Literacy: 65.72% [+4% in 4 turns]
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Stable
Corruption: 25%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 84.96%
Industrial: 0.93%
Goods and Services: 14.11%
Infrastructure: 14
Infrastructure Spread: 80.00%
Colonial Infrastructure: -
Economic Stability: Average
Economic Condition: Stable Growth
Blockaded: No
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Above Average
Army Tech (Year): 1890
Regulars: 66,000
Conscripts: -
Navy
Navy Quality: Above Average
Navy Tech (Year): 1895
Predreadnought Battleships: 3
Armored Cruisers: 4
Light Cruisers: 5 [+2 in 1 turns]
Destroyers: 0 [+1 in 1 turn]
Coastal Gunboats: 6
Transport Flotillas: 2
Leader: President Julio Roca
Player 1: Scrapknight *
Player 2: NPC
The Republic of Brazil
Treasury: -8,005,643,650
Income: 835,731,162
Gross Domestic Product: 15,662,675,809
Debt to GDP: 51.11%
Loan Payments: 556,035,237
Loan Interest Rate: 6.95%
Population: 17,984,000
Colonial Population: 0
Total Population: 17,984,000
Literacy: 60.38%
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Stable
Corruption: 35%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 81.61%
Industrial: 0.65%
Goods and Services: 17.74%
Infrastructure: 14
Infrastructure Spread: 65.00%
Colonial Infrastructure: -
Economic Stability: Average
Economic Condition: Stable Growth
Blockaded: No
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Average
Army Tech (Year): 1880
Regulars: 64,000
Conscripts: -
Navy
Navy Quality: Average
Navy Tech (Year): 1890
Predreadnought Battleships: 2
Armored Cruisers: 2
Light Cruisers: 3
Destroyers: 0
Coastal Gunboats: 3
Transport Flotillas: 2
Leader: President Manuel Ferraz de Campos Sales
Player 1: Kaisersohaib *
Player 2: NPC
The Republic of Mexico
Treasury: -2,077,864,824
Income: 76,011,865
Gross Domestic Product: 6,352,980,659
Debt to GDP: 32.71%
Loan Payments: 124,212,902
Loan Interest Rate: 5.98%
Population: 13,607,000
Colonial Population: 0
Total Population: 13,607,000
Literacy: 44.09%
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Stable
Corruption: 50%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 91.24%
Industrial: 1.30%
Goods and Services: 7.46%
Infrastructure: 18
Infrastructure Spread: 65.00%
Colonial Infrastructure: -
Economic Stability: Average
Economic Condition: Stable Growth
Blockaded: No
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Average
Army Tech (Year): 1884
Regulars: 25,000
Conscripts: -
Navy
Navy Quality: Poor [+10% in 4 turns, -5% for 5 turns]
Navy Tech (Year): 1877
Predreadnought Battleships: 0
Armored Cruisers: 0
Light Cruisers: 1
Destroyers: 2
Coastal Gunboats: 12
Transport Flotillas: 1
Leader: President Porfirio Díaz
Player 1: alexander23 *
Player 2: NPC
The Dominion of Canada
Treasury: -4,765,860,967
Income: 2,489,958,028
Gross Domestic Product: 22,196,793,976
Debt to GDP: 21.47%
Loan Payments: 234,614,827
Loan Interest Rate: 4.92%
Population: 5,457,000
Colonial Population: 0
Total Population: 5,457,000
Literacy: 90.62%
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Stable
Corruption: 5%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 56.98%
Industrial: 32.88%
Goods and Services: 10.14%
Infrastructure: 22
Infrastructure Spread: 80.00%
Colonial Infrastructure: -
Economic Stability: Stable
Economic Condition: Stable Growth
Blockaded: No
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Great
Army Tech (Year): 1895
Regulars: 20,000
Conscripts: -
Navy
Navy Quality: Good
Navy Tech (Year): 1895 [+1 in 3 turns]
Predreadnought Battleships: 0
Armored Cruisers: 0
Light Cruisers: 0
Destroyers: 0
Coastal Gunboats: 0
Transport Flotillas: 0
Leader: N/A
Player 1: etranger01 *
Player 2: NPC
The Korean Empire
Treasury: -852,507,317
Income: 295,141,762
Gross Domestic Product: 2,811,281,554
Debt to GDP: 30.32%
Loan Payments: 51,067,108
Loan Interest Rate: 5.99%
Population: 11,324,000
Colonial Population: 0
Total Population: 11,324,000
Literacy: 90.82%
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Stable
Corruption: 30%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 82.99%
Industrial: 5.69%
Goods and Services: 11.32%
Infrastructure: 15
Infrastructure Spread: 65.00%
Colonial Infrastructure: -
Economic Stability: Average
Economic Condition: Stable Growth
Blockaded: No
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Average
Army Tech (Year): 1877
Regulars: 5,000
Conscripts: -
Navy
Navy Quality: Below Average
Navy Tech (Year): 1866
Predreadnought Battleships: 0
Armored Cruisers: 0
Light Cruisers: 0
Destroyers: 0
Coastal Gunboats: 5
Transport Flotillas: 1
Leader: Emperor Gojong
Player 1: EasternBloc *
Player 2: NPC
The Sublime State of Persia
Treasury: -185,285,289
Income: -85,469,153
Gross Domestic Product: 330,658,382
Debt to GDP: 56.04%
Loan Payments: 12,967,840
Loan Interest Rate: 7.00%
Population: 9,860,000
Colonial Population: 0
Total Population: 9,860,000
Literacy: 20.14%
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Stable
Corruption: 35%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 94.47%
Industrial: 1.07%
Goods and Services: 4.46%
Infrastructure: 12
Infrastructure Spread: 65.00%
Colonial Infrastructure: -
Economic Stability: Above Average
Economic Condition: Stable Growth
Blockaded: No
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Terrible
Army Tech (Year): 1873
Regulars: 20,500
Conscripts: 85,000
Navy
Navy Quality: Terrible
Navy Tech (Year): 1868
Predreadnought Battleships: 0
Armored Cruisers: 0
Light Cruisers: 0
Destroyers: 0
Coastal Gunboats: 2
Transport Flotillas: 0
Leader: Shah Mozzafar-al-Din
Player 1: NikoHoI3 *
Player 2: NPC
The Republic of Colombia
Treasury: -772,264,762
Income: 18,983,687
Gross Domestic Product: 1,549,643,495
Debt to GDP: 49.83%
Loan Payments: 46,294,275
Loan Interest Rate: 5.99%
Population: 4,261,000
Colonial Population: 0
Total Population: 4,261,000
Literacy: 53.66%
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Stable
Corruption: 35%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 81.86%
Industrial: 1.44%
Goods and Services: 16.70%
Infrastructure: 16
Infrastructure Spread: 75.00%
Colonial Infrastructure: -
Economic Stability: Average
Economic Condition: Stable Growth
Blockaded: No
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Below Average
Army Tech (Year): 1888
Regulars: 35,000
Conscripts: -
Navy
Navy Quality: Poor
Navy Tech (Year): 1870
Predreadnought Battleships: 0
Armored Cruisers: 0
Light Cruisers: 0
Destroyers: 0
Coastal Gunboats: 2
Transport Flotillas: 1
Leader: President José Manuel Marroquín
Player 1: Zex *
Player 2: NPC
The Kingdom of Denmark
Treasury: -514,694,286
Income: 546,939,187
Gross Domestic Product: 5,252,452,316
Debt to GDP: 9.80%
Loan Payments: 25,640,717
Loan Interest Rate: 4.98%
Population: 2,561,000
Colonial Population: 81,000
Total Population: 2,642,000
Literacy: 93.95%
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Stable
Corruption: 5%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 73.22%
Industrial: 13.12%
Goods and Services: 13.67%
Infrastructure: 18
Infrastructure Spread: 70.00%
Colonial Infrastructure: 6
Economic Stability: Above Average
Economic Condition: Stable Growth
Blockaded: No
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Good
Army Tech (Year): 1890
Regulars: 15,000
Conscripts: -
Navy
Navy Quality: Great
Navy Tech (Year): 1895
Predreadnought Battleships: 3
Armored Cruisers: 2
Light Cruisers: 4
Destroyers: 8
Coastal Gunboats: 24
Transport Flotillas: 1
Leader: King Christian IX
Player 1: Groogy *
Player 2: NPC
The Republic Venezula
Treasury: -132,667,176
Income: 31,078,955
Gross Domestic Product: 1,125,448,696
Debt to GDP: 11.79%
Loan Payments: 6,628,167
Loan Interest Rate: 5.00%
Population: 2,542,000
Colonial Population: 0
Total Population: 2,542,000
Literacy: 43.34%
Average Education Level: Above Average
Prestige: 550
Stability: Stable
Corruption: 35%
Economic Sectors:
Agricultural & Resource: 83.04%
Industrial: 1.49%
Goods and Services: 15.47%
Infrastructure: 16
Infrastructure Spread: 75.00%
Colonial Infrastructure: -
Economic Stability: Average
Economic Condition: Stable Growth
Blockaded: No
Mobilization Penalty: 0%
Mobilization Level: Unmobilized
Army
Army Quality: Below Average
Army Tech (Year): 1884
Regulars: 30,000
Conscripts: -
Navy
Navy Quality: Poor
Navy Tech (Year): 1870
Predreadnought Battleships: 0
Armored Cruisers: 0
Light Cruisers: 1
Destroyers: 0
Coastal Gunboats: 3
Transport Flotillas: 1
Leader: President Cipriano Castro
Player 1: Ab Ovo *
Player 2: NPC
On the morning of the fourteenth of May, without pomp or aplomb, the second Olympics Games began in Paris, France, a symbol of unity and international brotherhood amidst the rising crisis in the Orient; over the course of the next few months, in conjunction with the World’s Fair which was also being held in the French capital, some nine-hundred and ninety seven men and women (a first for the Olympics) competed for the highest honours in their sport.
-Archery-
In Archery, one hundred and fifty three competitors from three different nations (the Netherlands, Belgium, and France, which provided the vast majority of the archers), fought for the gold medals over the course of six different matches:
In the first archery event, the fifty metre competition held at Au Cordon Dore, Dutchman Peer Boerdijk won the gold, whilst two Belgians Hubert van Innis and Hercule Arents won silver and bronze respectively; surprisingly, the Frenchmen Henri Herouin, who many in France thought would have an easy triumph, was injured the day before the match, and was rendered unable to compete. The remainder of the French archers in this event, for their part, performed almost universally abysmally, with only Emile Fisseux executing a reasonable showing.
Unknown archer competing
In the second event, thirty-three metres also at Au Cordon Dore, the Frenchman Victor Thibauld recovered his nation’s honour, winning the gold decisively, with Dutchman Cornelis Altena taking silver and Hercule Arents again winning bronze for Belgium.
At the fifty metre event held at Au Chapelet, the French crushed all opposition, with Herouin, now fully recovered, took the gold, with Fisseux taking Silver and Charles Frederic Petit taking Bronze; Victor Thibauld once again gave a strong performance.
For the thirty-three metres in Au Chapelet, Peer Boerdyjk once again proved his skill, and won the Dutch their second gold medal. Floris Kleinjan, also from the Netherlands, won silver, whilst Hercule Arents won his third Bronze medal for Belgium.
At Sur la Perche à la Herse, France once again decisively swept the competition, with Auguste Serrurier winning Gold, Emile Fisseux taking Silver, and Henri Herouin winning Bronze.
Lastly, at Sur la Perche à la Pyramide, the Belgians had a particularly strong performance, with Hubert van Innis winning the Gold and Hercule Arents winning Silver; Frenchman Auguste Serrurier took home the Bronze.
All in all, France acquired three Gold, two Silver, and three Bronze medals; the Belgians won one Gold medal, two Silver, and three Bronze medals; and the Dutch won two Gold and two Silver medals.
-Athletics-
From the fourteenth to the twenty-second of July, with the Battle of the Legations in full swing, the Athletics competitions were held (that one of the events was held on a Sunday drew particular ire from the American athletes, several of whom lodged official protests).Australia, Austria, Bohemia, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Norway, Sweden, and United States.
In the sixty metre dash, Agoston Kobor (Bohemian) won Gold, narrowly outrunning Prentis Montjoy of the United Kingdom (who won Silver), the former winning by only a tenth of a second (6.8 seconds to 6.9 seconds); Danishman Hjalmar Mik Knudsen took home the Bronze, finishing at 7.1 seconds.; the American runners somehow managed to tangle themselves sup and ultimately failed miserably.
In the one hundred metre dash, the victor remained in doubt for quite a while (and even to this day inspires fierce debate amongst Olympic historians). Erich-August Frost of Germany and Reginald Dwight of the United Kingdom, raced far ahead of their competition, with only the American and Australian runners remotely close; the two were neck-and-neck, battling for the narrowest of edges. The track favoured Frost, but the taller, leaner Dwight maintained a far stride… in only 10.5 seconds it was all over; the audience waited with baited breath for the winner to be announced, only to find the judges as uncertain as they were. For two days, whilst the other races were held, the race remained in question. It was not until the twenty-third that a winner was at last declared; Erich-August Frost had won in the one of closest races ever run in Olympics history, and triumphed over the British lion, which the lean and golden haired Dwight was heralded as; some of the more involved Englishmen wrote strongly worded letters to the Commission, and several papers quickly made the rounds, shouting corruption and abuse. Frank Jarvis, one of the American runners, came in third and won the Bronze at 11.1 seconds.
However, it was the two-hundred metre dash that would go down in infamy as the closest race ever run in the Olympics, with the Scandinavian brothers of Denmark and Sweden fighting for the Gold; it was never as controversial as the Frost-Dwight race, largely due to the relatively amicable ties between the two northern Kingdoms (and the perceived arms race being pursued at sea by the German Kaiser); however, Hjalmar Mik Knudsen of Denmark and Gustav Eriksson of Sweden proved that the Scandinavians, whilst perhaps close friends, even closer rivals; they outraced every other competitor, and, in the end, no winner could be determined, so close and so even where to two; it was declared a tie, with both Sweden and Denmark receiving a gold medal, with both competitors finishing at 20 seconds even; surprisingly, Agoston Kobor took another medal for the Austro-Hungarian Empire, winning Bronze, with 22.4 seconds.
At the four-hundred metre dash, the American competitor Maxie Long gave the performance of his life, finishing his run at an impressive 43.6 seconds; his nearest competitor, the German-born Franz Gruber took the Silver at 49.6 seconds, well behind Long. In third came Norwegian Fredrik Christianson, who won the Bronze with 49.8 seconds.
For the eight-hundred metre dash, Bohemian Alexandr Balusek , finished at a respectable 2:01.3 seconds, with Indian runner Norman Pritchard finishing at 2:03 even to win the Silver; Frenchman Henri Deloge took home the Bronze at 2:03.09.
Finish of the Eight Hundred Metre Dash
In the fifteen-hundred metre dash, Englishman Charles Bennet won the Gold at 4:06.2, whilst the Italian Paolo Ferrari took the Silver with 4:06.6, and Canadian John Emory seized the Bronze, finishing third with 4:07.2.
During the Marathon, Albert Fiedler and Elbricht Geiger, both from Germany, took the Gold and Bronze respectively, with Fiedler finishing at 2:59.4 and Geiger completing at 3:37.5. Hungarian runner Ambrus Beles took the Silver with 3:04.7.
In the one-hundred ten hurdles, France swept the race, with Michel Theato (15.7), Emile Champion (15.9), and Henri Deloge (16.1) taking Gold, Silver, and Bronze.
For the two-hundred metre hurdles, Alvin Kraenzlein, from the United States, finished in 25.4 seconds and took the Gold, whilst a pair of Frenchman, Henri Tauzin and Jacques Chastanie, came in second in third, respectively, with Tauzin completing his hurdles in 26 seconds, and Chastanie finishing in 26.1 seconds.
In the four-hundred metre hurdles, Greek athlete Alexandros Christopoulos took the Gold, making his run in 57.4 seconds; Alvin Kraenzlein (surprisingly enough, once again running for the Americans) came in second with a close 57.6 seconds), whilst another Greek runner took the Bronze, with Georgios Kotas finishing his run in 57.9 seconds.
At the twenty-five hundred steeplechase, the Scottish-born Brit James O’Keefe finished in first, winning the Gold with his 7:34.2 run, closely followed by Erik Magnusson from Norway, whose own Silver-winning run was completed in 7:35.2. Emmanouil Petrakis, from Greece, took home the Bronze with a respectable run 7:39.1.
For the four thousand steeplechase, Edward Heath, competing from India, won the Gold for his solid 12:58.4 run, whilst James O’Keefe again competed and won the Silver, which he won in 13:01.2 minutes; Frenchman Jacques di Picardie came in third, finishing in 14:02.5 minutes to win the Bronze. American Paul Harris, despite a strong beginning, tripped and fell (breaking his ankle) seven minutes in; worse still, he managed to trip up two other Americans running.
For the five thousand team, the mixed Anglo-Australian team, composed of Charles Bennett, John Rimmer, Sidney Robinson, Alfred Tysoe (all from the United Kingdom), and the lone Aussie Stan Rowly, defeated their French foes, Henri Deloge, Jacques Chastanie, Andre Castanet, Michel Champoudry, and Gaston Ragueneau. As they were the only two competing teams, no Bronze medal was awarded.
At the Long Jumps, Emmanouil Petrakis, again from Greece, won with a rather impressive 7.197 metre leap, whilst Frenchmen Jean-Claude Renaud took the Silver with his 7.190 metre jump, with a second Greek competitor, Gerasimos Petrou took the Bronze with 6.952 metres.
In the Triple Jumps, Edward Heath, from India won his second Gold medal for his 14.51 metre jumps, with a fellow Indian Lowell Grey taking the Silver (his own jumps rounded off at 13.97 metres); Frenchman Jean-Claude Renaud competed again, and again won a medal, taking the Bronze for his 13.66 metre jumps.
For the High Jump, Edward Heath won his third Gold Medal for India with his 1.91 metre leap; Emmanouil Petrakis, seemingly Heath’s greatest competitor, won for Greece another medal, taking Silver for his 1.89 metre lunge. Canadian Albert Leahy took the Bronze with his 1.75 metre jump.
High Jump Contestant
For the Pole Vault, Hungarian-born Andras Antal won the Gold, beating Emmanouil Petrakis with his 3.30 metres to the Greek’s 3.27 metre vault. Swede Oscar Jurgensson won the Bronze with his 3.11 metre vault.
In the Standing Long Jump, Albert Leahy won Gold for Canada with his 3.20 metre jump, whilst Emmanouil Petrakis, now largely considered one of the top Olympians, took Silver with his 3.192 jump. Emilio Forenzo from Italy came in third, taking the Bronze with his 3.105 metre jump.
At the Standing Triple Jump, Otto Maas of Germany decisively crushed his competition, his 11.65 metre jump winning the Gold and defeating his British and Swedish rivals, Peter Wills and Oscar Jurgensson, the former jumping 9.95 metres and the latter jumping 9.63 metres.
For the Standing High Jump, fifteen year old Peter Wills, from England, won with a 1.650 metre jump; Canadian athlete, Albert Leahy, jumped 1.590 metres for the Silver, whilst Andras Antal of Hungary jumped 1.535 metres.
At shot put, Karl-Gustav Bergman of Sweden won Gold, his 15.7 metre throw defeating Bohemian-born Alojz Banik, who own 13.9 metre throw was nearly matched by Ingmar Winter, the giant Dane whose 13.8 metre throw was done despite Winter’s recent leg injury.
For the discus throw, Gerhard Wasserman of Germany won with his 36.05 metre throw; Karl-Gustav Bergman of Sweden won second place with his 35.45 metre throw. Frenchman Paul-Andre Babineaux threw his discus 24.95 metres for the third position, whilst Paolo Longo from Italy embarrassed himself and his nation by accidentally sending his discus right into one of the judge’s faces.
At the hammer throw, Paolo Longo redeemed himself, with the Italian lobbing his hammer some 56.32 metres, decisively beating John Flanagan from the United States, whose Silver-winning throw was an impressive 51.01 metres. Petr Sykora from Bohemia won Bronze with his 42.58 metre hammer throw.
By the end of the Athletic section, France had won one Gold, four Silver, and four Bronze medals; the British Empire, as a whole, took six Gold (two Indian), six Silver (one Indian, one Canadian), and two Bronze (both Canadian); Germany took three Gold, one silver, and one bronze, whilst the Reich’s ally Austria-Hungary took three Gold (two Bohemian, one Hungarian), two Silver (one Hungarian, one Bohemian), and three Bronze (one Hungarian, two Bohemian). Greece took away two Gold medals, two Silver, and three Bronze, whilst Sweden-Norway claimed two Gold, two Silver, and two Bronze. Italy underperformed, taking only a single Gold and Bronze, and Denmark took two Gold and one Bronze medal. The United States came away with two Gold, two Silver, and one Bronze medal.
-Basque Pelota-
One the fourteenth of June, José de Amézola y Aspizúa and Francisco Villota, both from Spain defeated Frenchmen Maurice Durquetty and Paul Etchegaray 7-3.
Pelota competitor
Spain took away one Gold medal, whilst France took a single Silver medal.
-Cricket-
On the nineteenth and twentieth of August, at the Vélodrome de Vincennes, the British and French teams competed for the silver and bronze medals, as well as some lovely miniatures of the Eiffel Tower (the Dutch and Belgian teams, apparently not pleased with these dinky, non-Gold awards, both withdrew); the British ultimately decisively crushed the French, 97 to 42 runs.
Britain took home a Silver medal, whilst the French got a Bronze, and both teams could admire small Eiffel Towers for as long as they liked.
-Croquet-
At the Croquet games held over two weeks in August, nine Frenchmen and one Belgian man competed; France invariably swept all three games; in the single with one ball, Gaston Aumoitte, Georges Johin, and Chretien Waydelich came in first, second, and third, respectively. In the single with two balls, Chretien Waydelich came in first, Jean-Paul Colbert took second, and Robert Denis won third. In doubles, the previous game was reversed, with Robert Denis taking Gold, Jean-Paul Colbert coming in second, and Chretien Waydelich winning Bronze.
Croquet Tournament thing-subtext
In Croquet, France took three Gold, three Silver, and three Bronze medals.
-Cycling-
Some of the cycling events were held as part of the World’s Fair, and as such some of them became rather muddled with the Olympic competitions; however, at the men’s sprint, two Frenchman (Georges Taillandier and Fernand Sanz taking Gold and Silver, respectively) defeated the British-cycler Louis Hildebrand. At the men’s twenty-five kilometre, John Henry Lake from the United States took the Gold, defeating Paulus Franken and Ludwig Holst, both from Germany. Lastly, at the men’s point race, Anders Vanderhoof of Belgium defeated Enrico Brusoni of Italy and John Henry Lake of the United States.
Sprint race
In all, France took one Gold and one Silver medal, whilst the British took one Bronze; the United States took a single Gold and a Bronze, and the Germans took a lone Silver and Bronze, with Belgium also taking a Gold and Italy a Silver medal.
-Equestrian-
For the Equestrian competitions, five nations competed for the Gold. In jumping, the Belgians won decisively, with Constant van Langhendonck taking Gold, Aimé Haegeman taking Silver, and Georges van der Poële taking Bronze. During the high jump however, Giovanni Giorgio Trissino trounced his opponents, including fellow Italian Adalberto Agostinelli, who won Silver, and John Royce, the American who took the Bronze. In the long jump, Frenchman Camille de La Forgue de Bellegarde won Gold, whilst Giovanni Giorgio Trissino won a Silver for Italy, and Constant van Langhendonck took a Bronze for Belgium. In hacks and hunters combined, which was not counted as an official Olympic sport, Langhendonk and Trissino again performed admirably, taking first and second, whilst another Belgian, named Pierre van der Wyngaert, took third; Elvira Guerra, oddly enough a woman, also competed. In Mail coach, also not officially recorded, much the same occurred, with Langhendonk winning and Trissino close behind, and van der Poële taking third.
Monsieur Langhendonk of Belgium
In the equestrian, Italy took a single Gold medal and a pair of Silvers, whilst the Belgians won a single Gold, two Silvers, and a lone Bronze medal; the French won a solitary Gold medal, and the Americans came away with but a lonely Bronze.
-Fencing-
From the fourteenth to the twentieth of May, the amateur foil of the Fencing competition was heldof the sixty-four participants, some thirty-seven advanced, with the judges granted considerable leeway in advancing and holding back competitors at their leisure (or, as they said, if they thought someone had won only nominally or if a pair had duelled with particular panache); the quarterfinals, repechage, and semifinals were also held in this first week, the first being as subjective as the earlier competitions, thought the latter two were considered far more objective and formal. From the twenty-first to the twenty-second of May, the foil competition continued to completion, with Cuban fencer Ramon Fonst winning the Gold, Frenchman Emile Coste of France taking Silver, and Lodovico Fiorvante coming in third to take the Bronze for Italy; the master foil semifinals were also held. From the twenty-eighth of May until the third of June, the masters foil was held, with Danish duellist Knud Bjornsen Vang trouncing American fencer Stephen Goates, with Joakim Hellstrand of Sweden taking the third position. To many, however, it was the duel between Sergei Nicholaeovich Morozov, considered one of the best fencers a the Olympics and Dariush Ghorbani of Persia, a newcomer whose nation did not even have official representation at the Games; the two opened near the top of the masters, in the third match of the finals. Morozov, known for his aggressive duelling, opened with surprising caution, testing the mettle of his smaller foe; Ghorbani responded with equal caution, and for the first few moments of their match, it seemed neither would initiate a true advance; Morozov then changed tact, and launched a series of blows in rapid succession, though his Persian opponent met them tit-for-tat and responded with his own advance. Two pair sparred for the better part of five minutes, unable to gain an edge over one another, until at last Morozov, the Russian giant (he stood well over a head taller than Ghorbani and, indeed, most of his competition) was began a rapid flurry of attacks, leaving his right fully exposed; in an instant Ghorbani exploited the opening and delivered the winning blow. Morozov was beaten, and Ghorbani was ultimately felled by Hellstrand two rounds later. Epee also made its debut this week, with the first and second of June devoted mostly to the amateur events.
On the fourth of June, until the tenth, the epee continued, though nothing of particular note occurred. The following week however, the amateur sabre competitions were held, with Georges de la Falaise winning the Gold for France, Lodovico Fiorvante winning the Silver for Italy, and Filip Gustavsson of Sweden taking Bronze; also of note was when the Haitian dueller Pierre-Henri Delacroix crushed three of his German opponents in quick succession. The last of the epee matches were held, with Frenchman Louis Perree winning Gold, Fiorvante against winning Silver for Italy, and Belgian fencer Michel Savarin taking home the Bronze. Lastly, the masters epee was held, with Antonio Conte and Italo Santelli, both Italian, won Gold and Silver respectively, and Cuban fencer Roman Fonst again winning a medal, Bronze this time. Over the course of the final two weeks, the Amateur-Masters epee was held, with Frenchman Albert Robert Ayat winning Gold, German dueller Otto Heinz winning Silver, and Frenchman Leon See winning Bronze; however, many regarding the Peruvian dueller (who like Ghorbani of Persia, was penalised by the fact that his nation was not recognised at the Games) as the most phenomenal duel, as he felled both Fonst and See with relative ease, and nearly duelled Ayat to a standstill, before at last conceding after a close-run match. A the masters sabre, Antonio Conte again won Gold for Italy, whilst Frenchman Emil Bougnal took the Silver, and Conte’s counterpart Santelli won Italy Bronze; unfortunately, a Swiss duellist was badly injured and was sent to the hospital after the incident.
Italo Santelli fencing with Jean-Baptiste Mimiague
France won two Gold and three Silver medals during the fencing competitions, with Italy close behind with two Gold, two Silver, and two Bronze medals; Denmark took a solitary Gold medal, whilst the United States took one of each type (the Gold and Bronze coming from Cuba), and Germany took a single Silver medal. Lastly, Sweden and Belgium each took a sole Bronze.
-Football-
In men’s football, from the twentieth to the twenty-third of October at Vélodrome de Vincennes, Upton Park F.C. from the United Kingdom defeated USFSA XI of France (which came in second) and the Belgian Université de Bruxelles, which took third; however, no medals were officially accorded to any of the three participants.
-Golf-
On the second of October, the men’s golfing competition was held; Konstantinos Petrakis, of no known relation to the other Petrakis who competed in the Athletics, won handily over American Charles Sands and Frenchman Robert Supplantier. The following day, Margaret Abbot from America won the women’s golf competition; she however was completely unaware that she had been competing in the Olympics and, rather than receive a medal, she was given a bowl; fellow American Pauline Whittier took second, whilst Frenchwoman Alexandra Bidet took third.
Margaret Abbot
The Greeks took a single Gold medal from the golf competition, whilst the United States took one Gold and two Silver medals; France won two Bronze medals.
-Gymnastics-
On the twenty-ninth and thirtieth of July, one-hundred and thirty-five contestants from eight nations competed for the Gold, Silver, and Bronze in gymnastics; in the first and second horizontal bar competitions František Erben of Bohemia and Jules de Poorten of Belgium performed strongly, whilst in the parallel bar, de Poorten and Englishman William Connor gave 19 point performances; Connor’s compatriot Henry Hiatt, however, performed abysmally, receiving only a one after nearly injuring himself. During the rings, the Hungarians and the Swissman performed well, and during the pommel horse, Camillo Pavanello of Italy (their sole competitor) carried himself well, though he merely won silver in both competitions. However, during the floor exercises, he again showcased his skill, and continued to astound during the horse vault, where he received a perfect 20. Ultimately, after the combined high jump (where Gustave Sandras of France shined), to the long jump (dominated by the Swiss, with Pavanello taking third), and the pole vault (where the Italian again took second, by the time rope climbing and weightlifting was completed, there was no doubt who had one; Camillo Pavanello, received an excellent score of 309, and took home the Gold for Italy, whilst Jules de Poorten took home the Silver for Belgium with his 301 score; taking Bronze and third for France was Gustave Sandras, received 300 points in total.
During the gymnastics competition, Italy won the Gold, Belgium the Silver, and France the Bronze.
-Polo-
From the twenty-eighth of May until the second of June, twenty men from four countries competed for the polo championship; in the quarterfinals, held the first day, Foxhunters Hurlingham of Britain and the United States defeated Compiègne Polo Club of France 23 to 1. Two days later, at the semifinals, Hurlingham again triumphed over the Franco-British Bagatelle Polo Club de Paris 7-4, whilst the Mexican team narrowly defeated the Amero-Brits of BLO Polo Club Rugby 2-1. In the finals, held on the second, Hurlingham defeated Mexico 6-3.
As such, the United States and United Kingdom both received Gold, whilst Mexico took Silver; no playoff for Bronze was made.
-Rowing-
On the River Seine, rowing was formally introduced as an Olympic sport (due to weather, the 1896 rowing competition had been cancelled); one-hundred and eight rowers from eight nations competed, and ultimately one came to dominate much of competition. In single sculls rowing, Roberto Hector Maria Castro of Spain defeated George Saint Ashe of Brtiain and Hermann Barrelet of France; in coxed pair rowing, the Vesper Boat Club from America defeated the Société Nautique de la Marne of France and the Favourite Harmonia from Germany. In coxed four rowing, the Americans again triumphed, defeated Minerva Amsterdam of the Netherlands and the Favourite Harmonia of Germany. In eight-man rowing, Vesper Boat Club triumphed a third time, leaving the United States with three Gold medals, over Minerva Amsterdam in second, and Favourite Harmonia in Third.
The United States had an utterly stellar performance, with the Vesper Boat Club taking three Gold out of four competitions, with only Spain taking another Gold (their only award for rowing); The Dutch acquired two Silver, the British only a lone Silver, and the French a Silver and the Bronze medal. Germany won three Bronze.
-Rugby Union-
On the fourteenth and eighteenth of October, two rugby matches were held; in the first, FC 1880 Frankfurt from Germany trounced Union des Sociétés Françaises de Sports Athlétiques from France 23 to 17, and in the second, FC 1880 Frankfurt again won, defeating the Moseley Wanderers (from Britain) 25-22. Germany was given the Gold, and France and Britain both received Silver.
France-Germany match
-Sailing-
From the twentieth to the twenty-seventh of May, on the River Seine, the first round of sailing competitions began; for those ships weighing less than half a ton, the Dutch triumphed in the first round, the Swiss taking second, and the French cruising into third; in the second round for that category, the Americans took the lead, with the Dutch sinking to second, and the French remaining in third. For the one half to one ton category, the Germans were shipped off to victory, followed by the French and lastly the Dutch; the Americans, buoyed by their previous success, however, ran the competition aground and won the second round decisively, with the French taking second and the Dutch third. For the one to two ton rounds, France took the prize, followed America, and later the Dutch; in the second round, the Americans won, followed closely by their British cousins (apparently at last comfortably on the Meulan (they continued to argue that the winds, which were hampered by buildings and the direction of the races, was intentionally made to weaken their chances)), and lastly followed by the Germans. In the two to three ton races, the Dutch triumphed in the first race, followed by an increasingly fierce British competition, and followed by the Americans. The French boat was, however, damaged and knocked them out of the second race, which the British won easily, taking both first and third, whilst the Germans took second. For the open, the last race on the Seine, the British won, followed by the Dutch, and then the Germans.
Out at sea near Le Havre from the first to the fifth of August, the British were much more at home; the ten to twenty ton race was dominated by them ,as they trounced their nearest rival, the Germans and took home first and second for the Queen; Kaiser Wilhelm would have to content himself with third. German favour declined even more in the 20-plus ton races, where Britain again won first and second, and the Dutch cruised into third. In the end, Britain won four Gold, four Silver, and no Bronze; the Dutch claimed two Gold, two Silver, and four Bronze. The Americans took three Gold and one Silver, whilst the French took one Gold, two Silver, and three Bronze. The Swiss managed to fish up one Silver medal, and the Germans took one Gold, one Silver, and three Bronze medals.
[CENTER][SIZE=4]-Shooting-[/SIZE][/CENTER]
From the third to the fifth of August, nine shooting competitions were held; however, what would have been a rather normal affair turned quite surprising when Gheorghe Plagino, a Romanian sports shooter, born in Dumbrăveni in 1876, walked onto the field with his pistol; at twenty-five metres, the Frenchman Maurice Laurrouy was narrowly being beaten by the Dane Lars Jørgen Madsen. Plagino, completely unfazed by the budding rivalry only metres away from him, cleanly shot his targets with such amazing precision and accuracy that the judges immediately demanded to check his gun, certain of some modification to allow to shoot amazingly well; it was no different from any other competitors, save for perhaps a bit more aged, tinged with rust as it was. At the fifty metre shots, he again dominated the competitions, the Scotsman Donald McKintosh and the Swiss Karl Röderer his only notable competition (they took second and third, respectively); handed a rifle, one he had never shot before, he fought it out and managed to take second against the British crack shot Martin Littlewood, with Konrad Stäheli of Switzerland taking third. When kneeling, Plagino competed and tied for third with Moritz Hauser of Germany, with Littlewood taking second, and Stäheli taking first. Whilst in prone, Achille Paroche of France took first, Plagino took second, and Littlewood took third. For teams of three, and Plagino unable to compete (as he was the only Romanian competing), the Swiss won easily, with the Belgian team taking second, and the Norwegians taking the Bronze home, whilst in teams of five, the Danes won Gold, whilst the French narrowly edged out the Norwegians for Silver. However, Plagino easily defeated his opponents in trap shooting, with Eduard Hoffman of Germany taking second, and Paul van Asbroeck of Belgium taking Bronze. Gheorghe Plagino, the first ever Romanian competitor at the Olympics, took home three Gold, two Silver, and one Bronze.
[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/1NjUNm2.jpg
Plagino, the Greatest Marksman at the Olympics
In all, Romania took three Gold, two Silver, and one Bronze medals, whilst the Swiss take two Gold and two Silver; the French and British each won one of each medal, whilst the Danes take a Gold and a Silver medal; Belgium took a single Silver, Sweden-Norway took two Bronze, and Germany took home a single Bronze.
-Swimming-
At the swimming competition, seventy-six men from twelve countries competed; at the two-hundred metre freestyle, Frederick Lane from Australia took the Gold, William West from the United States took Silver, and John Arthur Jarvis from Britain took Bronze; at the one-thousand metre freestyle, Jarvis took the Gold, followed by Frenchman Louis Martin, and Zoltán Halmay of Hungary, who took Bronze. For the four-thousand metre freestyle, Umberto Messi of Italy took first, Jarvis took second, and Oberto Messi, Umberto’s younger brother, took the Bronze for Italy. In the two-hundred metre backstroke, Peder Lykkeberg of Denmark took the Gold, followed by William West from America, and Lane from Australia, whilst in the team races, two French teams took Gold and Silver, whilst the British, buoyed by Jarvis’ strong performance, managed to take the Bronze. In the obstacle course, Umberto Messi took Gold, followed by West in second and Lane for Bronze. Lastly, during the underwater course, Charles de Vendeville of France won, followed by the Dane Lykkeberg, and in third, Ernst Hoppenberg of Germany; J.A. Jarvis, who had been initially had a strong lead, unfortunately had his legs caught up by one of the Austrian swimmers, and was forced back into a strong fourth place.
The United Kingdom won two Gold, a Silver, and four Bronze medals (one Gold and two Bronze being Australian), while Italy won two Gold and a Bronze; France won two Gold and two Silver medals, and the United States took three Silvers. The Danes had a single Gold and a lone Silver by the end of it, whilst Austria-Hungary and Germany each took away a Bronze.
-Tennis-
At Cercle des Sports de l'Île de Puteaux, the Olympic tennis competitions were held; in the men’s singles, Lawrence Doherty from Britain took the first place, followed by Harold Mahoney, also British, whilst American John Berg took in the Bronze; for the men’s doubles, the French-American team of Max Décugis and Basil Spalding de Garmendia took the Gold, with the all-British Lawrence Doherty and Reginald Doherty took Silver, and the British Harold Mahoney and Arthur Norris taking Bronze. In the women’s singles, Hélène Prévost of France won, followed by fellow Frenchwoman Marie Chevalier, and Bohemian Hedwiga Rosenbaumová taking third. In the mixed doubles, Charlotte Cooper and Reginald Doherty, both British, took first, followed by the Anglo-French team of Hélène Prévost and Harold Mahoney, and the Anglo-Bohemian team Hedwiga Rosenbaumová and Archibald Warden took third.
Charlotte Cooper
In all, the British won four Gold medals, two Silvers, and a Bronze, whilst the French took three Gold and a Silver; the Americans have one Gold and a Bronze, and Austria-Hungary took two Bronze.
-Tug of War-
On the sixteenth of July, the Swedo-Danish team defeated the French team at a game of tug of war; Sweden and Denmark received Gold, whilst France took Silver.
Tug of War
-Water Polo-
On the River Seine, on the eleventh and twelfth of August, the water polo competition was held; in the first round, Osborne Swimming Club from Britain defeated the French Tritons Lillois, Pupilles de Neptune de Lille #2 (also French) was beaten by the German Berliner Swimming Club, and the Brussels Swimming and Water Polo Club was beaten by Pupilles de Neptune de Lille #2; Libellule de Paris advanced to the second round unopposed. In the second round, the British crushed the Germans 10-1, whilst PNL defeated their French cousins LP in a closely run match of 6-4. In the third and final round, the British defeated the French in a tough fight, with a score of 12 to 9. Britain took Gold, France to Silver, and Germany and France tied for Bronze.
The Meiji Emperor and His Government send their deepest consolations to the Italian government and in particular the new King, Vittorio Emmanuel III; the assassination of King Umberto, a vile and disgusting act, surely performed by the most wretched and contemptible being imaginable, the most unworthy creature to crawl upon the earth, has touched His Imperial Majesty, and the entire Imperial Family, as well as this Government, and we sincerely wish the best for our Italian friends.
We in the Imperial Government wish as well to offer our apologies to the German officers, especially those amongst the delegation who may have been offended by the more colourful language employed by certain officers within the Imperial Army, and we maintain our most sincere desire to maintain the warm trade and political relations now enjoyed by our two Empires, as exemplified by our still young declaration of friendship; in light of the recent controversies, we have deigned that it may perhaps be wiser to send a number of military observers to Germany to learn the most efficient, German means by which these superb weapons are used, as such a policy would work to relieve our two nations of any tension and best fulfil the agreements our two Empires formed in 1899.
On the matter of the Imperial Army and Navy’s performance thus far in this war against the barbarous Boxers, His Imperial Majesty, His Government and, indeed, the entirety of the Japanese Nation sing their praises for their superb, their truly exemplary, conduct thus far, and the Emperor, and this Government, fully expect for the Imperial soldiers to continue to perform their duties to the utmost; General Fukushima, in particular, should be commended for his cautious and pragmatic leadership, and his unyielding defence of Japan against these barbarians. Lastly, His Imperial Majesty’s government is most pleased to hear of the camaraderie established between the Imperial forces and our American friends, whose bravery cannot be denied and whose honour cannot be besmirched; we hope deeply that these trials on the field of battle will merely serve to bring our nations, and all of our brethren in arms, deeper into the bonds of friendship.
His Imperial Majesty’s government does also desire to reiterate its stalwart for the independence of the Korean Empire, and, in the interest of maintaining and perpetuating Korean independence and our close ties, wish to further expand upon our prior agreements.
Lastly, the successes of this year, particularly in regards to the expansion of industry and infrastructure across Greater Japan, and the growth found within our territorial possessions and aligned regions, is most auspicious and, if this government may be so bold, a sign, a portent, of future prosperity and success for Greater Japan and her People.
~ Prince Yamagata Aritomo, Marshal and Prime Minister of Greater Japan
Official Statement from Minister of Foreign Affairs Alfonso Diego:
It has come to the attention of the Portuguese Government that the Serbians have created a brand new, modern rifle to be used in combat by military troops. Thus, the Portuguese Government would like to submit a purchase of these rifles so that Portugal may use them in their military.
Serbian Gun Sale to Portugal
I. Serbia will sell 100 M1899 rifles to the Portuguese Army.
II. Portugal will pay 6000 Portuguese Read to the Serbian Government.
-Alfonso Diego, Minister of Foreign Affairs on behalf of his Majesty Don Carlos I, King of Portugal and of the Algraves. [X]- Don Carlos I, King of Portugal.
[X]- Mirko Stefanović, Ambassador of the King of Serbia
Kongeriget Danmark
Message from His Majesty The King of Denmark
I want to personally praise the Scandinavian competitors in the Olympics and congratulate the medal takers. I also want to give special praise to Ingmar Winter for giving such great performance despite his injury and I am sure he would have dominated his competition if not for that. However this is not why I felt this public message was necessary. During the Olyimpic games a scandal developed concerning the rivalry of Britain and Germany poisoning what is to be an occasion of unification and building of the international community. A similar circumstance happened between Hjalmar Mik Knudsen and Gustav Eriksson, however this never lead to childish bickering instead these two competitors acted commendably and as would be expected of them with the officials of the two nations following suit. I also want to emphasize that this show that the Scandinavian Kingdom's should continue to lead by example for the international community to the betterment of us all.
Mister Knudsen and Mister Eriksson will be awarded with the Kongelige Belønningsmedalje i Guld med Krone(Royal Medal of Recompense in Gold with Crown) at the Palace when they arrive home from Paris as a reward for their display of brotherhood.
- Christian IX, By the Grace of God, King of Denmark, of the Wends and of the Goths; Duke of Schleswig, Holstein, Stormarn, the Ditmarsh, Lauenburg and Oldenburg
A national Message from the President of the The Republic of France.
The Third Republic of France Congratulates all the victors in the the 2nd Olympiad of the Modern Era, with special regards going to the Scandinavian Team, seeing how two nations with cultural ties can work together for the greater good. The members of the Victorious from France's team will be invited to the The Élysée Palace to celebrate the greatest sportsmen and women in all of our glorious nation. I would also like to take a moment to honour our noble men who are fighting in China to protect Western Civilisation from acts of barbarity. France would also like to thank the Nation of Japan for all their help in the currant crisis, and hopes that the nations of France and Japan can continue to work together as they have done for four decades. Finally the Third Republic would like to thank the Empire of Russia and the other members of the Eight Nation Alliance in their co-operation, I hope that this could be the first sign of an Era of International co-operation together.
As for the recent campaign about the Monarchy, there has been a misunderstanding. I am not a monarchist, but some in our nation are, and I respect that, It was under Napoleon I that France's greatest military victories were won, yet it was also under Napoleon that the French territory of Alsace-Lorraine was lost to Otto von Bismark. The aim of the Campaign was to unite the French people politically, so whatever you chose to believe, that you believe in France. For we are at threat, the investigation into L'Arc. Bombings has finished, and it was concluded that is all is not as it seams. While the Perpetrator had connections with a leftist group, said leftist group had no connections with the bombing, In Fact, no French organisations had any connection with the Bombing, instead it was a foreign plot, a plot to cause chaos in our Motherland, I ask All Frenchman and women, whether Liberal, Socialist or Monarchist to join together to protect France from those who would see it fall.
Also, The French Government will Immediately Begin the Reconstruction and Expansion of L'Arc de Triomphe, It will be the Great Monument in all of France, with other Monuments built in the Major cities of France, including a Statue de la Liberté in the City Calais, being the Sister of the Statue in New York City, and a symbol of your eternal Friendship Between our two Republics.*
Vive la France! Vive le Republic! Pour Liberté Égalité et Fraternité!
Franco-Argentine Treaty of Cooperation, Amity and Trade (FAT-CAT)
- The French Republic and Republic of Argentina affirm their mutual friendship and desire for cooperation;
- The Republic of Argentina will purchase 20,000 French-made rifles and/or machine guns as the Republic of Argentina's military procruement agency sees fit;
- The Republic of Argentina will reduce tariffs on French goods across the board by 20%;
- The French Republic will reduce tariffs on Argentine goods across the board by 20%;
- The French Republic will establish incentives for French business to invest in Argentina;
- The Republic of Argentina will allow for favorable tax rates to aid in such investment.
[X] Julio Roca, President of the Republic of Argentina
[X] Émile Loubet, President of the French Republic
Various esteemed personages have been asking me to join this game for quite a while now, so are there any nations in need of an incredibly inexperienced player?))
