Hint for nachopontmercy: Bismarck has been in office for 2 years - he had no time to "fabricate artificial casus belli for decades".
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OOC: So apparently he did nothing prior to that, and only started working in 1863? Wow, I did not know he was unemployed for almost 50 years...
As a simple member of parliament, you do not go around doing foreign policy.
OOC: As the leader of a political party and an ambassador I would say you do...
The ambassador spot was given to him in order to get him out of German politics. He wasn't doing much in Russia.
And I wonder how much foreign policy you see leaders of political parties doing today.
The Confederate States of America
Deo Vindice
Success of the Highest Order!
The Army of Northern Virginia under the Great Lee has struck against the Federals the single greatest victory in this war, in the largest of said war, and has secured for our supreme efforts the Federal capital of Washington DC! The victories of the Generals Longstreet, Lee, and Jackson at Baltimore, Washington, and the Wilderness have secured for us steady ground upon which we shall stand and fight; President Lincoln has refused us the peace that all good American men desire for their households and their country; hopefully the Radical President Stevens shall accept entry into mutually beneficial and amiable peace talks.
Not only has that enemy Capital been secured by our brave and loyal Men, but the entirety of the Army of the Potomac - that army that the Army of Northern Virginia [Lee and his boys in gray] so valiantly fought against for the last several years - has finally been defeated totally in battle, surrendering en-masse to the Confederate Army! Now there is nothing that lies in the path of the Army of Northern Virginia on its march to the contingent Federal capital of Philadelphia.
Through dedication to ones' country we have made one giant step forward, ever closer to our very own established (and unviolated) independence as a sovereign state. I hereby again respectfully ask that President Stevens, in good faith as a fellow God-fearing Christian, to sit down at a table of peace to discuss an end to this unnecessary war between our two states.
God save the Confederacy.
~ Jefferson Finis Davis, President of the Confederate States of America
.svg/222px-Greek_CoA_(1831-1863).svg.png)
Βασίλειον τῆς Ἑλλάδος
~ Otto I, King of Greece
1864 marked a year where a critical mistake in communications was made. The mistake set back the security of the Empire of the French and those that depend upon us for their own safety. It was never my intention to run a copy of the Prussian Conscription system. Clearly it is not perfect and is not a French system. Conscription only has so many ways to vary it but nations also need to home-build their own particular specifics. France is its own unique land and we have our own unique needs to provide security for our people. One way or another this will be done this year and no longer will misunderstandings or errors in communications block efforts to improve the security of the people that depend on our Imperial Military.
Napoleon III ~ Emperor of the French
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Members of Parliament, I stand today here with grave news. One month ago, President Francisco Solano López has seized the Marquês de Olinda as it transited the Río Paraguay without warning or cause, arrested its crew, and impounded the ship. Though some say this has only been the latest in a systematic campaign of harassment and interdiction, a campaign that has been conducted on the part of Paraguayan officials against Brazilian shipping for the last decade, it is the first time that Paraguay has seen fit to steal a Brazilian ship outright, and in deliberate insult, has also taken a ship of the Brazilian navy by these underhanded means. This insult to Brazilian honour would have been intolerable enough, and we have been taking diplomatic action against Paraguay in order to secure the release of our citizens and our ship, as well as maintain the honour of the Brazilian flag, with negotiations headed by Counsellor Saraiva. However, as you are all well aware, President López has proven utterly intractable, and demanded the renunciation of our alliance with Argentina, as well as our treaties of free navigation with Argentina and Uruguay. Though we have sought only peace in the south, President López has desired differently, using these negotiations not to discuss peace in good faith, but instead to serve only as a way to delay and prepare for war. Two days ago, he withdrew unilaterally from negotiations and issued a formal declaration of war against us. Yesterday, the Chilean ambassador to Rio de Janeiro delivered a declaration of war as well. Where three days ago we were at peace, today we stand at war with two powers to our south.
Though Paraguay may be small, I have been assured after consultation with my cabinet that their military capabilities are not to be underestimated. President López has spent the last decade since the Platine War abusing the free navigation of the Paraguay and Paraná Rivers that we secured for him and his nation, not in trade and economy, but in purchase of weapons of war. He has built a river fleet second only to our own, and an army with no other use than the attack. He has fortified the mouth of the Paraguay, and though he has not shown how strong the fortifications are, they are believed by our own naval officers to be most formidable. Finally, as a caudillo of the old school, President López remains in absolute control of his nation. He orders, and the people of Paraguay have no choice but to obey. With this in mind, I am in agreement with the military that this will not be a short fight, and intend to plan accordingly. I have ordered the full mobilization of our army reserve, and I wish to propose that a temporary war-time tax be instituted in this time in order to ensure that the army will be supplied and prepared to fight, to last until the end of hostilities. Finally, I also ask that funds be freed to fund the enlistment of any and all volunteers who wish to serve. We will fight, and we will bring López to terms such that he will not attack us again.
- His Imperial Majesty Dom Pedro II, Constitutional Emperor and Perpetual Defender of Brazil
Tensions in South America are high, as war has broken out with Brazil defending herself from the aggressors of Paraguay and Chile. The demands of the latter two powers are cruel, unfair and unchristian. They seek to cast aside the peace and prosperity that we all share, in favour of trying to achieve some petty victory on the battlefield, to better establish their regimes at home. Well they may think that they can merely push around such great powers as Brazil and Argentina, and make them abandon their integrity, their honour, but they will find that they are very wrong. Argentina honours her treaty with Brazil, and declares war on Paraguay and Chile. A full mobilisation of our army reserve is to now be enacted. Argentina stands with her friends, with her allies, and we shall have victory on the battlefield and the satisfaction of knowing our honour and integrity remains unblemished and unsullied.
~ President Santiago Derqui of the Argentine Republic
People of Afghanistan we have been blessed with victory once more! By the will of Allah we have crushed the Bukharan Army as they tried to cross the Amu Darya River, and now we shall free our Brothers from the Khanates tyranny. All Bukharan lands south of the Amu Darya River will join us in creating a united Central Asia and be incorperated into our Greater Afghanistan. With the end of this conflict I herby recind the mobilization order given last year. So return home to your families Brothers, and know that you fought for the will of our Lord!
The Grueling Effects of War
In the dark backrooms of Liberty Hall in Philadelphia, President Abraham Lincoln, still in office until March, sat with his cabinet, looking over the dire situation the Union was in. Finances were about to collapse out from under them, and taxes, for whatever known reason, were not raised at all. Loans were taken out every single day from the Banks of Europe, and the Stock Market continued its gradual decline. News from the East was worse every day, while the West was looking up, it was far from won. The United States was being torn apart by factions inside the country, and moral was dropping like a rock. Prominent abolitionists in the North railed against President Lincoln due to the fact that the Confederates issued a way to free Slaves, while thousands of slaves toiled in Kentucky and Missouri.
In the White House in Richmond, Virginia, President Davis also meet with his cabinet. The Confederate Congress had met on occasions in an attempt to pass appropriations bills and to generally try and ensure the country began to grow. A proposed railroad bill, that would bring food from Georgia up to Virginia, was shot down after the North Carolina legislature decided it did not want the track to run through its territory. The very State's Rights that had created the Confederacy now was close to rendering it unable to do any of its duties. Some planters in Mississippi and Alabama began to raise their anger at the Confederate Government. Slaves began to enlist in the army faster than they could buy them. The Confederate Congress as well, also authorised massive loans from French Banks, in order to fuel the Emancipation Proclamation. One British Banker remarked, "It is with a weary regard that I sign loans to the United States, for I shall issue a Loan to the Confederate States as well, it is better to lose half of the investment than all of it." Along with this, strange trades were being made in the Confederacy, buying massive amounts of useless goods, and selling goods that didn't exist. This caused a hit to Confederate trade, one of the few things keeping the country alive.
[-£14,181,781 to the Confederate States. +150,000 Conscripts to the Confederate States. -7% Public Support to the Confederate States. Minor trade disruption.]
In late February, by the end of his term, President Lincoln, after talking with his cabinet, and ignoring the President-elect Stevens, issued Executive Order No. 194. What would go down in history as one of the worst decisions in the War Between the States, President Lincoln mandated that, through his power as President of the United States and Commander in Chief, that any and all slaves within the United States or the Confederate States were free, and slavery as a whole was abolished, to be enforced by the United States Military. Immediately, Congress issued a rebuke of this vast overreach of power. President Stevens vowed to overturn it. It had seemed that President Lincoln bypassed the entire Constitution. The Democrats in the House of Representatives, which held a majority, suddenly brought up a vote to stop supplying the army with the resources they needed. Only with President Stevens taking office, he issued his first executive order, overturning the one President Lincoln issued. Abraham Lincoln was arrested and put on trial for abuse of power, where he was found guilty, and sentenced to life in prison, until President Stevens pardoned him of all his crimes.
[-4% Public Support to the United States.]
President Lincoln reading Executive Order No. 194 to his Cabinet.
In order to try and move away from this, President Stevens helped to sway opinions, and brought a motion to the Congress, which would allow Women to enlist and fight for the country. Many abolitionists and women's right's activists went behind this idea, and by a slim margin, the motion was passed. Enlistment papers were signed, and soon, thousands of women signed up for the army. They were trained less, and paid less, but for whatever reason, the United States decided to throw them directly into combat.
[+50,000 Conscripts to the United States.]
Dubbed the Army of the United States, under the command of General John C. Frémont, they were tasked with helping the Army of the Susquehanna, which was being harassed by General Longstreet's Corps in Pennsylvania. With the new Regulars, the Army of the Susquehanna was bolstered to a fighting force once again, attempting to turn the tides of the Confederate advance. General Longstreet called for help from Lee's main army, which began to move northwards. The first, and only thing, that stood in their way was the Army of the United States. Stationed at Hanover Junction, Pennsylvania - the Army of the United States heard of General Lee's movements up to Westminster, and quickly called for the Army of the Susquehanna to reinforce the engagement. The Army of the Susquehanna began to break off from Harrisburg, while Longstreet's corps was camped in the small town of Gettysburg.
As the Army of Northern Virginia reached Hanover, Pennsylvania, the Battle of Hanover soon began. The Army of the United States began the first engagements, with a small skirmish starting on the outskirts of town. General Lee noticed, with shock and surprise, that it was an entirely composed of females. Poorly trained, his hardened Confederates quickly threw off the attack, and pushed. It did not take long, and the entire army collapsed. No one counted the dead, and the prisoners were taken, to be send South, to their own special camp, in order to try and keep things civil.
[-49,101 Conscripts to the United States. -160 Conscripts to the Confederate States.]
With the Army of the United States simply pushed aside, and actual photographs and images of dead women on the battlefield reverberated through the United States. A movement by some Democrats began in committees, to begin negotiations with the Confederate Government. Female conscription stopped, while the outcry raged on in the north. Draft riots were wide spread, and further soldiers were needed to quell the riots.
[+100,000 Conscripts to the United States. Draft Riots prevent conscription for the rest of the year.]
With the Army of Northern Virginia and Longstreet's Corps converging, and moving North, General Lee made the decision to separate the Army of the Valley from the Army of Northern Virginia, and to move South, to aid the defense of Richmond. Under the command of General 'Stonewall' Jackson, Lee had little fear in his ability to operate effectively. Lee continued to move towards Harrisburg, and was expected to be there around mid-year.
When the Army of the Valley arrived, the Siege of Richmond was already well underway. As it seemed, a Union force had landed, and move South, assaulting the city from the East and the South. Artillery pounded away at the defenses of Richmond, The Battle of Petersburg began when the new Union Army in the South began to move against the city itself. The Army of Richmond quickly moved to defend Petersburg, with General Magruder masterminded an assault eastwards, in a pincer movement, to destroy the army in the West, and to force the surrender of the army in the South. When the Army of the Valley arrived, they found only scarecrows and a few scattered men. They were quickly captured, and pressure was put on the Army of the Cumberland, which was the only thing assaulting Petersburg. Along with the few scattered regiments and the scarecrows, the Confederates were able to capture vital supplies. Trains, rail lines, cannons, ammunition, powder, everything that they so desperately needed.
[-7% Equipment to the United States. +7% Equipment to the Confederate States]
Overwhelmed, the Army of the Cumberland, stranded in Southern Virginia, and surrounded on two sides by Confederate armies, fought bravely until finally, General Hooker decided, that he was to surrender his Army to the Confederate States. Their was, however, fierce fighting between the two, and he was able to exact a high amount of casualties upon the Confederates, enough to put the Army of Richmond and the Army of the Valley out of order for the remainder of 1865.
[-79,470 Conscripts to the United States. -55,201 Conscripts to the Confederate States.]
Union defense during the final Confederate Charge.
The slow Union re-assertment of the Naval Blockade continued, with the Confederate putting up a defense in South Carolina. The Battle of Charleston Bay, as it was called, was the Union Attempts to move blockading ships back into position. The Confederate Navy was massed there, waiting to try and stop it. Actions began around noon on May 18th, 1865, when several Union ships sailed into the harbour. Ft. Sumter began the first salvos, while the C.S.S. Virginia, the Confederacy's sole ironclad, moved to engage the several screw steamers that were attempting to silence the shore batteries. Ramming two of them steamers, and causing the two large Confederate Ships of the Line to begin engagements against the smaller Union sailing vessels. After fighting to a draw into the night, the Union ships withdrew northwards, to try again the next day.
[-1 Ship of the Line to the Confederate States. -4 Screw Frigates to the United States. -5 Sail Frigates to the United States.]
The Battle of Charleston Bay.
During the night, something unexplained happened. Two Union Ironclads, ready to take on, and hopefully sink, the C.S.S. Virginia, slipped into the harbour at night. The Confederates quickly got underway, and released a weapon that had been built privately, and commissioned as a ship. The C.S.S. Hunley, a vessel that moved underwater, slipped out of her special berth, and slammed en explosive charge straight into the side of the U.S.S. Washington, causing it to explode, and sink beneath the waves. The other ironclad, looking to the perpetrator, gave away its position, causing the rebel shore batteries to open up on it. While shots bounced off its hull as it tried to get away, an hour later, a second explosion ripped open the lower, wooden, hull of the ironclad, sinking it to the bottom of the harbour. The news of the C.S.S. Hunley quickly spread across North America, and the world. No more further attacks were called upon Charleston Harbour or the Gulf.
The CSS Hunley in Charleston.
In the West, the Union Armies under Generals Grant and Sherman began a wide-scale operation against. General Sherman's Army of Ohio made a move towards Atlanta, in a bid to try and cut the Confederacy in twain. His direct opponent was the Army of Tennessee, under the control of General Patrick Cleburne. The Confederates made their defense on the outskirts of Atlanta, using the mountains as their prime defensive line.
General Sherman ordered that Atlanta be taken at all costs. This was the same method that had worked to gain them most of Tennessee, and it was re-applied here in order to ensure that the war was ended sooner. News from the East wasn't all that promising, so a quick solution was needed, and General Sherman was determined to be the one to give it.
By the time General Cleburne learned of Sherman's movements, he had already crossed the border into Georgia, and was occupying Rome, Georgia. It wasn't but another week until Big Shanty, Georgia was under threat. He ordered a full defensive line along Kennesaw Mountain, forcing Sherman to attack him if he wished to take Marietta and Atlanta. Sherman ordered men to charge directly up the face of the mountain and to throw the Confederates off. Confederate cannon was aimed directly downwards at the charging line of blue. Where once stood a regiment, became a mist of red. Regiment after regiment marched up that mountain side, their gleaming bayonets shining in the April sun, while the Confederates just simply fired down, matching every regiment with a blast of the cannon, and a volley of smoke and lead. The air filled with smoke, turning the entire battlefield into a hazy, yellow-red tint. General Slocum of Sherman's army continued to protest the engagement, saying that "They don't even have to use their bullets! They can just roll rocks down on us!"
Union Charge at the Battle of Kennesaw Mountain.
Many a good men died at Kennesaw Mountain, and it seemed General Sherman was not willing to end the engagement. General Cleburne pushed forward, throwing Sherman off Kennesaw, and towards Rome. This caused General Cleburne to continue to push, throwing him out of Georgia. He had a more cautious approach, and instead opted just to fight over the City of Chattanooga once again. A few minor skirmishes, and General Sherman retreated to central Tennessee, where he had ample supplies and the ability to reinforce more easily.
[-6,290 Regulars to the United States. -30,250 Conscripts to the United States. -4,252 Regulars to the Confederate States. -5,502 Conscripts to the Confederate States.]
Along the Mississippi River, the Union Forces quickly gained major opposition. General D.H. Hill was but in charge of the Army of Mississippi, attempting to try and ensure that New Orleans was not captured. General Grant did have a larger army, and a bigger, and more advanced, fleet of gunboats. The Union forces continued down the Mississippi River, with General D.H. Hill fighting every step of the way. The main area of resistance was in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, were the Confederates made it their position to defend Baton Rouge, and then try and push North.
What became known as the Battle of Baton Rouge commenced in late May, when General Grant ordered Union forces to take the city. Union gunboats shelled the Confederate defenses, wearing them down to pieces. General Hill's Army quickly moved to the East of the city, to engage with General Sherman. The Confederate River Navy, at the same time, began movements against the Union River Navy. The massive amount of fighting around the bends of the river, along with the ships sinking, made it a hazard to travel, causing the Union ships to instead retreat to the North, leaving the Confederates with control over the river near Baton Rouge.
General Hill's Army met General Grant's Army, and despite being outnumbered, General Hill was able to maintain pressure on Grant, forcing him to disengage from his assault, and instead retreat to the North of the city, where he began another offensive. General Hill quickly moved his men around, only for reinforcements from the Confederate's Indian allies were able to move across the River, to assist in the defense of Baton Rouge. They were fierce fighters all with deep hatred for the United States, and some sense of loyalty to the Confederates. With these reinforcements, and Grant getting none, he decided to claim that the battle was inconclusive, and moved North, to reinforce once again, and attempt to take New Orleans in the second half of the year.
[-7,346 Regulars to the United States. -12,520 Conscripts to the United States. -1,650 Regulars to the Confederate States. -4,250 Conscripts to the Confederate States.]
Fighting at the Battle of Baton Rouge.
Both sides saw their home fronts continue to waver. Both the Confederacy and the United States began to take massive hits to their economic growth, and their population growth. Once thing was certain, this war needed to end soon, before both nations experienced massive riots, and instead of being a war of Unification or Freedom, quickly becomes a war of tearing each other apart, and both experiencing a total collapse.
The Confederate States of America
Deo Vindice
It is with no greater pleasure ever bestowed on me that I present to the world the Peace of Bern.
~ Jefferson Finis Davis, President of the Confederate States of America
Though it pains me greatly I will not further waste lives on this disastrous endeavor.
[x] Thaddeus Stevens, 17th President of the United States of America
Mexicans;
You’re getting accustomed to my speeches, and some smile when they begin. They think I also use the same subjects, and they’re right, I always talk about patriotism and unity. Organizing bets on the subject of my addresses wouldn’t be profitable, people wouldn’t bet on anything else than “Todos Mexicanos”. It doesn’t mean I shouldn’t continue these speeches, our country has been plagued by division since its birth, and even if we’ve made huge progresses in the last few years, and we have yet to become a fully united country. This year will be capital, and will show if the process towards a lasting peace will continue and is sustainable. This year, both unity and civil war can happen. I will go on about that a little late, as I have urgent news, regarding national security, to deliver.
The Rurales are making the Mexican countryside secure, and the situation there can be compared to the political one. It’s much better than it used to be, but it’s still not as good as it should be even if the situation is brightening. A group of outlaws, chased by the brave peacekeepers, have crossed the border. Unfortunately, this happens quite often. What’s more unusual is that our forces cooperated with Confederate troops. Should Mexico cooperate with rebels? Or should it fight secessionism, a disease that struck us way too many times? I firmly believe that this cooperation was a good thing. We are waging a war too, against banditry and violence, and we mustn’t let our enemy escape and use our neutrality in the American conflict. I welcome this cooperation, and hope it will happen again, if needed. This doesn’t mean our stance in the civil has changed; we stay strictly neutral, until peace arises. In the meantime, let’s hunt down every outlaw, they will all face the consequences of their misdeeds and justice will prevail. In a decade, banditry will be under tight control and won’t be a major issue, but now it’s a major threat. Let’s keep up the fight, victory is at hand, let’s make Mexico safe.
The American civil stays a security issue, but I’m convinced that both parties have understood the need to keep Mexico neutral, and we aren’t under threat. They won’t march on our territory and should they do so, we will repel them. Mexico is neutral, but it isn’t weak. The senseless bloodbaths of last year have impressed us and the world and it seems that the idea of peaceful reconciliation, that we have pressed all these years, was a mere mirage. Too many men have fallen, and both sides want victory, not a compromise. This is saddening news but there is nothing we can do, if we are to keep our neutrality. Washington DC is in ruins, and Richmond might face the same future. Black soldiers fight ferociously on every side, and the emancipation question is less pressing than before. It doesn’t mean people fight for states right, this is a laughable notion. In the first years, they fought for independence and unity, to keep a lifestyle intact and to bring universal principles all over what they saw as their country. This has faded away and all that’s left are men eager for vengeance, who want to avenge deaths with more deaths. Ironically, it reminds us of what Mexico has done for decades, but on a much wider scale. The two sides are deep in enemy territory, and prefer to slaughter civilians of the other camp to protecting their own citizens. For years, Mexico has tried to find a compromise and to help the Americans find the civil peace we achieved after so many conflicts, now Mexico can only look north with sadness, as the end of the war won’t end the feud, and new victims will surely be added to the gruesome count. I am taking side, but my side, the side of peaceful unity, seems to have lost all its supporters. A peace seems at hand, but it’s a peace that carries many deaths, and I hope it will be worth all the suffering it has caused. Until a final peace settlement is signed, our neutrality will stay.
The biggest shame of our country, peonage, has come to an end. Its ban has been pronounced years ago, but the laws we enact in Mexico sometimes take time to be felt all over the country. That’s when the effects are actually felt. We can lament ourselves, say that the government is powerless. Or we can act and make sure law is respected, every single citizen is under our authority and should be able to benefit – or suffer, it depends who you’re asking – from our reforms. I’m the President of the United Mexican States, and I won’t let a few landowners break the law just because they like doing so. Peonage is forbidden, and those who try to revive it or the hated slavery will face trial and most probably death. For years laws weren’t applied but that will change. It is widely known that small exploitations are much more productive than big haciendas, and I invite hacienderos to sell their properties to their employees, the Banco del Avío will provide them loans; and you, hacienderos, will be able to create much more profitable enterprises. This is a mere suggestion though, the right of property is fundamental and expropriation is a tool that brings too many troubles for the one who uses it. Cities are growing, farmers own the fields they plough, and people are attracted by our country. Mexico is doing good, and will continue to do so.
I’m talking about the Banco del Avío, and I must say it was a huge success. Three years ago, urban life was awful. Now urban communities are thriving and can rely on a booming agricultural sector. This is a great achievement. It is an achievement we accomplished together, as a nation. I’m not the only who did it, Liberals and Conservatives alike have worked hard. What we did, we did it relying on our own strengths alone. We don’t a foreign monarch or to be under foreign supervision to thrive. What we need is determination and effort. Every Mexican can and will provide those to the national community, to ensure our path keeps getting brighter. Brave citizens who had a bit of money gave it to the Banco del Avío, even if many expected the bank to be a failure. They expected benefits of course, but it was a patriotic sense. Patriotism isn’t always supposed to be at your own expense, patriotism is making actions for the greater good of the country and that’s what they did. This money, coupled to governmental funds, has been leant to people who had ideas, projects, dreams; but who lacked funds. That wasn’t hard to do, it just needed a quick spark. That’s what I and my government provided. I hope that in the future similar things will be undertaken, sparks will be created to make the fire of the Mexican soul and genius burn bright.
Many immigrants are coming to our great nation, and this is a gift. I know some of you oppose these policies and believe Mexico should belong to Mexicans only. But this will only lead to troubles. The Indians were the first Mexicans, then Spanish people arrived. Mexico is made of Spanish, Indian, mixed people, and every last one of them is Mexican. Mexicanity is a state of mind, not just the blood of your ancestors. No nation of the Americas is ethnically pure, yet we are nations in our own right. We can’t limit citizenship to blood, and we must welcome these immigrants who are ready to become citizens just like us and are ready to improve Mexico with us. Let’s welcome them, and turn them into Mexicans. If an Indian can become President, can’t a Dutchman become Mexican? This isn’t assimiliation, we are merely adding new spices to the melting-pot that Mexico has always been. We are nation where people are free, religious freedom is assured, many civil rights are granted and more will come in the future, I’m sure of it. Mexico is a place where most humans would like to live, letting immigrants come will strengthen us and please them. Mutually benefitial deals are a great thing, and this one will shape a new, happier, wealthier, freer and prouder Mexico. To the immigrants I say: Come and don’t be afraid, if you’re ready to work, you will be able to create your own destiny and prosperity yourself. To those who are already Mexicans, don’t see these immigrants as people who will steal your jobs, but see them as people you will sell your products to, and who will provide you with goods you don’t have. This is a unique opportunity for this country that we won’t miss.
Elections are coming up. I have done some extensive thinking, because I believe I’m still able to serve this country I consecrated my life to. I believe I’m still able to improve the country and to honour the rest of my promises. I couldn’t do enough in four years, even if I accomplished a lot. Mexico stays poor, even if it was worse a few years. Banditry is still a problem, there are many more political reforms I’d like to see done. Being the President is a very special special, it makes you feel almighty, as if I was better than others, as if respect and power were due to the man and not to the position. However I’m just a man, a citizen. The law is the same for all. There is no reelection, the Constitution is very clear. It’s my second presidency, but the first one was merely to replace Comonfort who had stepped down. Now it’s my time to step down, with dignity.
It doesn’t mean I won’t care about Mexico anymore. 1865 will be my last year, but it won’t be my least one. I have many other projects I want to pursue. I offer my support to Melchor Ocampo, a friend of mine and a great statesman. He’s a Liberal like, and when I support him, I support him as a fellow Liberal. This will be the only support I offer him, as I’m still the President of everyone, of Ocampo and of his adversaries. Mexicans, you need to vote, to make your voice heard. Vote for the one you believe will do the best job for the country, not for the one your parents, friends or employers would like you to vote for. Citizens are equal before the law. The elections won’t be rigged, I promise you this.
One of my last accomplishments will be diplomatic. I wish to enter a customs union with the nations of Central America. Trade, prosperity and order are badly needed in these countries and in ours. I hope they will accept, as this will a first step towards better relations and towards trust. Military budgets are incredibly high, and they plague the region. If every nation shows goodwill, we will be able to stop this downwards spiral and will create an oasis of prosperity where there was only a bloody desert. Some might think this is a way for Mexico to control Central America, but it’s not. We have recognized these independences and merely want to offer a chance to the region and to Mexico. Please, don’t turn me down. This would bring us back to the years of Santa Anna and to the deep mistrust that reigned previously. Let’s put aside the grudges of the past and work together.
Todos Mexicanos.
Benito Pablo Juárez García, 26th president of Mexico
News can be slow to arrive to Mexico, more so if the President is touring the nation. The United States of America and the Confederate States of America have signed peace, we should rejoice. The scars of teh war are deep and I mourn for the united America of the past. But this isn't the time for this, it's time to congratulate both sides for ending the bloodshed and the conflict. We also hereby recognize the Confederate States of America, I hope relations between our two states will continue to be fruitful.
Todos Mexicanos.
Benito Pablo Juárez García, 26th president of Mexico
This American war has been the most bloody that we have ever seen in many, many years. We can only be glad that it is finally over, that everyone can return to their families and that no more mass killing will be seen in America.
We recognize the Confederate States of America and pray that both the American states have good luck in rebuilding after the huge damage that this war has brought upon their people.
- King Karl XV of Sweden and Norway
We thank our allies in Argentina for coming to our aid against this unprovoked assault. Together, we will stand united against autocrats and dictators, and restore peace to South America.
In that vein, we hereby formally recognize the Confederate States of America, and we pass along our official congratulations on their victory, duly recognized by the United States. It is our sincere hope that, with the onset of peace, both nations will be free to recover and restore themselves to their former glory.
- His Imperial Majesty Dom Pedro II, Constitutional Emperor and Perpetual Defender of Brazil
The Great Qing has never heard of this America, but we assume it is a fantastical land filled with wild dragons.
Because for some reason this place exists, therefore, we recognize the Confederate States of America.
-Tongzhi Emperor, By Divine Mandate, Emperor of the Great Qing
