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Here's a look at how the military side of things will work.
Costs
Each unit in the game has a few different costs. I thought about it and decided to abstract manpower for most units and just say that if you try and train too many infantry units for your population, I'll let you know. With that being said, units have three different types of cost: Monetary cost, IC cost, and Supply cost.
Monetary Cost: How much money it costs to build the unit. The cost of new units will be subtracted out of your income one time only.
IC cost: How much industrial capacity is required to build a given unit. One of your stats will be something called "Effective Military Production," which is your IC multiplied by your Economic Mobilization percentage. You can each turn only order a number of units whose total IC is less than your effective military production.
Some small nations may have too little IC to produce some of the larger units. That's OK, because you can buy them from nations with the capability to produce them by using a treaty order. This happens all the time in the real world; have you ever heard of a Nepalese-made MBT?
Supply Cost: How much materiel is required to keep the unit functioning. This number will count against your supply limit, and you will pay upkeep based on how much supply you have.
Combat
There are three types of units: Land, Air and Naval.
Land units are capable of invading and taking territory. Naval units can blockade coasts to reduce GDP, target land areas within reach for bombing, and provide support to land units in a coastal province. Air units can support both land and sea units, but cannot hold territory themselves. Pretty obvious, right?
Each unit has a combat value (which you can't see, you min-maxers) that contributes to total army strength. Then each side's naval or air support factors in, increasing or decreasing total strength. After that, the stronger force wins, plus or minus some rolls.
One last thing: Only land units can occupy territory, and infantry is better at it than any other unit type.
Now that I have stats blueprinted, I'm going to work on the last few profiles, then actually make the stats for the GPs and rogues, and then we'll get started with signups.
Costs
Each unit in the game has a few different costs. I thought about it and decided to abstract manpower for most units and just say that if you try and train too many infantry units for your population, I'll let you know. With that being said, units have three different types of cost: Monetary cost, IC cost, and Supply cost.
Monetary Cost: How much money it costs to build the unit. The cost of new units will be subtracted out of your income one time only.
IC cost: How much industrial capacity is required to build a given unit. One of your stats will be something called "Effective Military Production," which is your IC multiplied by your Economic Mobilization percentage. You can each turn only order a number of units whose total IC is less than your effective military production.
Some small nations may have too little IC to produce some of the larger units. That's OK, because you can buy them from nations with the capability to produce them by using a treaty order. This happens all the time in the real world; have you ever heard of a Nepalese-made MBT?
Supply Cost: How much materiel is required to keep the unit functioning. This number will count against your supply limit, and you will pay upkeep based on how much supply you have.
Combat
There are three types of units: Land, Air and Naval.
Land units are capable of invading and taking territory. Naval units can blockade coasts to reduce GDP, target land areas within reach for bombing, and provide support to land units in a coastal province. Air units can support both land and sea units, but cannot hold territory themselves. Pretty obvious, right?
Each unit has a combat value (which you can't see, you min-maxers) that contributes to total army strength. Then each side's naval or air support factors in, increasing or decreasing total strength. After that, the stronger force wins, plus or minus some rolls.
One last thing: Only land units can occupy territory, and infantry is better at it than any other unit type.
Now that I have stats blueprinted, I'm going to work on the last few profiles, then actually make the stats for the GPs and rogues, and then we'll get started with signups.
You've never heard of the Nepali MBT because it comes equipped with a cloaking device.
OSS WORLD FACTBOOK
COUNTRY: MANCHURIAN SOVIET REPUBLIC
Official Name: 滿洲蘇維埃共和國 (Manzhong Suweiai Gongheguo)COUNTRY: MANCHURIAN SOVIET REPUBLIC
Short Form: Manchuria, Red China, North China
Capital: Changchun
State Chairman: Mao Xinyu
Government: Single-party communist state under the Chinese Communist Party (de jure), feudal monarchy (de facto)
History:
The Manchurian Soviet, also called “Red China,” has its roots in the Soviet occupation of Japan in the last days of the Second Great War. Stalin, humiliated in Europe, had to spend a great deal of time licking his wounds. He had no particular desire to declare war on Japan, since the conflict was far away from the Russian heartland and the Nazis had done a number on Soviet warmaking capacity. After the Americans landed on Okinawa, however, Stalin was roused to action, and made plans for his invasion of Japan. Soviet forces first pushed into Manchuria, and the Red Army cooperated with local communists to proclaim the “Chinese Soviet Republic.” The Republic of China was outraged, but was not in a position to fight the Soviets over the matter either, as they were still kicking the Japanese out of the eastern parts of the mainland. Stalin would meet Republican Chinese troops outside of Beijing and American troops on the Yalu, which would set the rough borders that have divided Red and Blue China to this day.
The peace negotiations put Stalin in something of a bind. Deprived of any European sphere of influence, Stalin instead attempted to ensure the dominance of the USSR in Asia instead. However, he had greatly underestimated the performance of his Chinese and American allies, and his plans to create a communist bloc from Pyongyang to Guangzhou were foiled. The Americans occupied essentially all of Japan, and while the Soviets recieved Sakhalin and the Kurils they lost out on influence in Korea or anywhere else south of Mongolia. Unwilling to give up on dreams of a red empire in East Asia, Stalin changed his diplomatic position in late 1949 regarding his occupied zone. Rather than being part of China, Stalin claimed that Manchukuo had been recognized by the USSR as an independent state in alliance with Japan, and that the Soviet-backed regime helmed by Mao Zedong was the legitimate continuation of the government of Manchukuo.
Mao appreciated the backing, but did not want to give up on his dream of a united, communist China that easily. In March of 1950, without explicit Soviet support, Mao declared war on the Republic of China. An early string of successes including capturing Beijing and pushing down the coast caused the Republic of China to appeal to the UNSC. The Soviet Union abstained on the intervention revolution, allowing Britain, France, the US and China to rally the non-communist member states to the defense of the Republic. Communist insurgencies across China dragged out the war, and Soviet supplying of the red forces did not help the situation. As 1951 closed, the USSR and the other four powers of the UN appeared dangerously close to war, with the Germans egging the Russians on. (Recently declassified diplomatic cables showed that talks of a possible Russo-German alliance never passed the most embryonic of stages, with the Germans making offers of returning Karelia and Crimea, but it was feared as a genuine possibility at the time.) Against his own better judgment, and realizing that Mao wasn’t in a position to overthrow the Republic of China, Stalin cut a deal with the other powers: he would stop supplying the communist insurgents across China, but the Republic would only be allowed to advance to Beijing. China refused to stop until the entire country was reunited, however, and initially refused the offer. The war would continue until the end of 1952, when Soviet shipment of advanced weapons became too much for the Chinese to handle, considering the growing reluctance of the remaining Allies to commit to the war. Wang Jingwei accepted the Soviet offer, but refused to relinquish claims on the territory (as with Japanese Taiwan). As part of the deal, Mao’s government would be forced to relinquish its claim to be the legitimate government of China, and thus was reconstituted as the Manchurian Soviet Republic (however, referring to the regime as “North China” or “Red China” is still common in the outside world.)
While the Soviets were overjoyed that they would continue to be able to exploit Manchurian resources, Mao had his own ideas about how to structure his socialist utopia. During the Manchurian War, Mao had concieved of the “jiangong system”. Chinese for “hard worker,” the title of jiangong would be bestowed upon those who were judged to have given great contributions to the state, from soldiers to miners to farmers. Those chosen as jiangong would be ascribed various personal privileges, including limited private property ownership, access to Western media (otherwise tightly controlled) and increased advancement opportunities in the party. Of course, party leaders immediately began abusing the system, but Mao believed that it promoted loyalty amongst the party members, so the system stayed.
During the 50s and 60s, Mao expanded the jiangong system with new sets of titles, based on exactly how much the favored contributed to the regime. There were now “first-class,” “second-class,” “third-class” and “lesser” jiangong. The highest ranking was reserved for Mao’s closest advisors and friends, the second for important but more distant party apparatchiks and military leaders, the third for both the less-favored party bosses and the more politically important random bureaucrats, and the fourth for the outer bureaucrats and officials that ran the government on a day-to-day basis. Each class had hierarchical privileges, and all were superior to the nongmin, or peasantry. Mao surrounded himself with a “court” of sorts of jiaji jiangong, or the first-class rank, who were routinely shuffled in and out of government postings based on their favor with State Chairman Mao. While jiangong status was not officially hereditary in Mao Zedong’s time, the influential first, second and third-class jiangong were able to effectively pressure the Ministry of Labor, the entity responsible for issuing jiangong status, to ensure their sons and daughters would be able to retain their status.
The Soviets under Stalin and Molotov rolled their eyes at the jiangong system, and occasionally privately scolded Mao for his increasing obsession with the program, but as long as the Manchurian economy kept providing the Soviets valuable resources and acted as a convenient bargaining chip for Moscow to wield against China and the US in the UNSC, they let Mao’s strange little state persist. However, as Mao was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 1965, he became increasingly unable to govern the country himself, and the solution arrived at started to put even the ruthlessly pragmatic Premier Bulganin on edge. Mao apportioned various parcels of land in the MSR to be run by the various jiaji jiangong, with smaller constituent parts to be administered by the second-class jiangong, and smaller still parts of those to be run by the third-class jiangong. Each rank would be granted the ability to administer their territory as they saw fit in exchange for loyalty to their superior, and of course, would be granted total control over the nongmin in their respective parcels of land. In the name of building socialism, Mao had essentially recreated feudalism, complete with counts and dukes. When he passed away in 1972 and (unsurprisingly) his son Mao Anying came to power, he had recreated hereditary secession, too.
Zhukov and his successor Yuri Andropov, as their of his efforts to move towards greater cooperation within the UN system, re-evaluated their support of Manchuria. Yes, the rare minerals were useful in keeping the Soviet’s electrical grid of Tesla Reactors running, but increased exploitation of the Siberian tundra was rapidly making them less necessary. Yes, Manchuria was one of the more powerful communist states worldwide, but exactly how communist was a system with kings, dukes, and feudalism by other names? Add to the fact that the Mao regime’s constant threats to invade China and Korea were a regular embarrassment for the USSR on the world stage and a gradual easing off of support for the MSR began to make some sense. Mao Anying was not the loyal Soviet stooge his father was, either, and was making greater moves to make Manchuria an independent power on his own, anyway, such as trading with fascist nations without Soviet approval and buying arms from various powers on the world market willing to sell. When Andropov delivered a speech to the Supreme Soviet denouncing the massive crimes of the Manchurian regime, including intentional famines and use of forced labor, in 1976, it heralded what became known as the “Sino-Soviet Split” (an ironic term, since it prompted the Soviets to become much closer to the Republic of China). Manchuria responded with a detonation of a void bomb in the Yellow Sea (though American, Chinese and Soviet intelligence could confirm no antimatter reactors present in the country; where exactly Mao got that bomb is the subject of wild conspiracy theories to this day.)
Modern Manchuria resembles a cross between the worst excesses of the Stalinist era of the USSR and the Qing Empire. It is still ruled by the Mao Dynasty, who have built a grand palace in Changchun rivaling the grandeur of the Forbidden City. Mao Anying was deposed in 1980 by his brother, Mao Anqing, as the elder brother was childless; today, it is his son, Mao Xinyu, that rules as State Chairman. During the Anying and Anqing years, Manchuria gradually phased out all references to socialism in the country’s constitution, barring its name. It is an extraordinarily unequal and tyrannical society; any jiangong can legally kill or rape a nongmin peasant in their domain provided they can come up with a (laughably easy to provide) justification. Mao is not worshiped per se as Hitler is worshiped in Antarctica as one of the avatars of the All-Father, but his descendants have returned to old ideologies of the Mandate of Heaven to justify their rule, and Mao is said to have been a distant relative of the Jade Emperor, the ruler of Heaven in classical Chinese mythology. The Communist Party has become a deadly, decadent court where the jiaji jiangong plot and scheme against each other, as a byzantine game of thrones is played for who will occupy the politically valuable ministries. The Red Emperor’s rule is absolute in theory, and it is unthinkable that a son of Mao (and they mean son; Mao’s descendants claimed that his “women hold up half the sky” quote was taken out of context to help guard against politically ambitious sisters and daughters) would be struck down by his own courtiers. Below that level, however, all the highest offices of state are fair game, and political killings and purges come from the "red dukes" as often as from the State Chairman himself. It is a closed society; jiangong live in opulent mansions and “castles” of the brutalist style while the nongmin slave away in the farms and mines, and only second and first-class jiangong are allowed any communication with the outside world at all. Rumors circulate among the nongmin that the world outside Manchuria has ceased to exist altogether, destroyed in an apocalyptic battle between the Red Emperor and the demons of Capitalism, Fascism and False Socialism. Unfortunately for the UN, while hideously unequal, it is not backwards; the Manchurians have managed to smuggle a great deal in from non-aligned Indonesia to keep their military in top shape, and have several of their own void bombs to their name. Manchuria is East Asia’s greatest security problem, as the State Chairman looks down from his crimson throne and sees a world ripe for the taking.
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While I work on France, I've decided to put up a list of interesting minor powers for people to pick. Of course, you can pick a country not on this list, but I've tried to point out the more interesting parts of the world (and put into canon more officially a lot of offhand remarks I've made when people ask me about Country X). A map, for reference:
North America
Canada: The nation is locked in a battle over becoming a republic as well as an increasingly militant Quebecois separatist movement. Historically isolationist, Canadians are choosing between increased integration with Britain (for the conservatives) and the USA (for the liberals.)
Mexico: Normally a fairly calm place, the recent landslide election of the Partido Anarquista Nacional has many observers in Washington on edge as the government experiments in radically free-market economics. They swear they aren't Randists, and don't believe in enacting a "despotism of liberty" to enact radical change, but the US is still suspicious they're a front for the Antioquian drug lords and disgruntled libertists.
Cuba: With no American embargo, Castro was able to develop Cuba a great deal more, and Cuba and Zanzibar duel it out for "party capital of the world."
Central American states: The Partido Americano, a fascist guerrilla group that wants to re-establish the United Provinces of Central America along fascist lines, continues to terrorize the governments from Guatemala to Costa Rica.
South America
Venezuela: The People's Republic of Venezuela is one of the few major oil producing countries that is specifically in the Comintern, which was more important in the Stalinist era than it is today. Not democratic, but pretty relaxed.
Colombia: No matter how much the US prods them, the Colombian government can't seem to crush the Antioquian rebels - probably because Escobar has most of the government ministers in his pocket.
Antioquia: In 1958, a group of American and British radical capitalists inspired by the Objectivist ideologue Ayn Rand received funding from her corporation, Taggart Industries, to filibuster the teetering Colombian government and turn it into a libertarian utopia. The filibusterers made connections with drug lords in Antioquia province and managed to bribe and assassinate enough government officials to proclaim the "Antioquian Free State." The arrangement lasted for about five years, before the drug lords managed to co-opt the Liberty Party and turn the country into a narcostate. In Antioquia, you can buy and sell anything, as long as you don't cross President Escobar. Drug-addled biological terrors skulk through the ruins of Rapture, the now-abandoned purpose-built capital of the Free State. Fighting between Escobar's Liberty Party government, Randist hardliners, Colombian incursions and rival drug lords make it a chaotic place, but somehow business still gets done.
Peru: The People's Republic of Peru was, for a while, the People's Empire of Peru when its wacky dictator decided he was the rightful Emperor of the Spanish Empire, King of Kings, and Jesus's brother. When he invaded Bolivia, a joint Russo-American operation assassinated him and put a government more loyal to Moscow in place. To this day, though, weird cults still exist in the Andes revolving around trying to summon him back to the realm of the living, which will also herald the return of legendary founder-king Manco Capac.
Chile: An eternal battleground between UN and Axis diplomats and spies, Chile has bounced between democracy, left-wing dictatorship, right-wing dictatorship, communist dictatorship, anarcho-capitalist dictatorship (for a few months), and back to democracy again. The current government, led by the social liberal Radical Party, is appealing to the UN for help in putting down a Randist insurrection in Patagonia. Still pretty much first world, despite all that.
Argentina: With a powerful, Integralist Brazil on their doorstep, Argentina was initially a solid member of the UN until a Randist coup overthrew the government in 1953. The new Argentine president, Pedro Eugenio Aramburu, helped codify many of Randism's finer ideological points - the need of a transitory stage of dictatorship to ensure economic and social reform, called the "despotism of liberty," was chief amongst them. His authoritarian radical capitalism was unloved by either the UN or the Axis, and even Rand herself criticized his regime's purging of the Senate. German spies instigated a counter-coup in 1956, bringing Juan Peron back to power in exchange for carefully modifying his platform to be more explicitly fascist. He would then invade the Falkland Islands and force first the British and then the Americans to withdraw in disgrace in a war that lasted until 1973. Argentina remains under a Peronist government today, and is a growing economic power with designs on ursurping Brazil's place as the greatest power in South America.
Europe:
Ireland: Prosperous and the least militarized country in Free Europe, Ireland has historically been France's major partner in furthering European integration. Conveniently, it's also a great way to thumb their noses at the British. Its Sinn Fein government looks set for re-election, which may make the Northern Ireland peace process more difficult still.
Belgium / Luxembourg / Netherlands: The Low Countries are all firm members of the European Cooperation Organization and well-integrated into the French economy. The Dutch have recently put a conservative government in power that may make efforts to resist ECO integration, but for the most part, when France says "frog," the Benelux jumps. Belgium is a major financial center and has a lot of economic muscle, but the Progressive Party resents the dominance of the National Democratic Party and the Belgian Social Union is unhappy with the dominance of Savarin Industries.
Iceland: Loyal British allies in the Council of Europe and European Parliament, Iceland is home to many British and American military bases and agitates for the liberation of its Nordic bretheren in the UNGA. Norway has proven receptive, but the Axis will never let it break its neutrality.
Portugal: After being forced to let go of Angola and Mozambique, and watching the South Africans prop up the remnants of their colonial governments, the Portuguese junta has liberalized quite a bit and even has semi-competitive elections in its national primaries despite being a one-party state. With Spain weak, the UN is wondering if it could stomach Portugal in the ECO and maybe even the UN generally (though it's doubtful Germany would allow the latter.)
Denmark: Probably the most humane of Germany's direct puppet states, the Danes at least get to control their economy, if not their politics. The Danish National Party takes its orders directly from Berlin, despite what its own propaganda says, and the King of Denmark is still in exile in London.
Norway: The only actual democracy in the Axis, Norway has recently be putting out feelers to join the ECO. Berlin would never allow it, however.
Finland: A sort of quasi-democracy, with liberal, socialist and communist parties banned but otherwise with a smorgasboard of choices ranging from Christian democratic to I-can't-believe-it's-not-National Socialism. A solid middle power, and indebted to the Axis for their help in defending against the Soviet Union.
Sweden: A state on the Finnish model, Sweden has far less freedom to act independently from Germany.
Poland: The Polish National Republic is called "the armpit of Europe," and is more a reservation for unwanted Poles (i.e. all of them) in Germany than a functioning state. It is totally and utterly dominated by German political and economic interests and is only really theoretically independent. It's dirt poor, too - worse than many countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Baltic Union: Being "German-ish" and having once been directly integrated into Grossdeutschland has given the Balts something of a pass compared to the other German puppets in the region. They may only produce cheap industrial goods for the Germans, but they at least have their own army and government, and Berlin has fortunately not rolled in the tanks too many times.
Ruthenia: One step above Poland in the "awfulness of buffer state" rankings, the country also known as Belarus is more like a giant prison camp for Slavs than a real country. It's a nasty place, and every day families risk their lives to cross the border into the relative freedom of Ukraine. (The border with the USSR is far too heavily fortified to make escape there practical.)
Ukraine: The Germans received help from some local Ukrainian elements during their war against the USSR, and rewarded them with a fairly autonomous state. In return, Kiev is very loyal to Berlin, and as far as Germany is concerned, Ukrainians are the only good Slavs there are.
Hungary: The only real Central / Eastern European state that could honestly be called an Axis ally rather than a German or Italian puppet, Hungary was the big winner in the Romanian Spring of 1971. They took the rest of Transylvania that the Nazis hadn't already awarded them.
Romania: After trying to implement "nationalism with a human face" in 1971, Romania has been thoroughly chastized, and now hopes that the big mean countries around them will just go away. A faithful Axis servant, but no longer a willing one.
Croatia: The Italian answer to Poland, but not quite as hideous. At this point, most Croatian nationalists are happy they got left with anything at all.
Bosnia: The Italians wanted to spin off the Mediterranean Muslim states so they could focus on assimilating Libya. For whatever reason, Victor Emmanuel III didn't want the Bosnian throne, so it was given to Marshal Pietro Bagdolio. It became a "republic" when his son became Duce in 1980 and had to renounce the title.
Bulgaria: The Germans decided that the Tsar of Bulgaria would be useful in keeping the country in line, and the Tsardom of Bulgaria is a loyal (if marginally independent) German ally.
Greece: A civil war in Greece between Italian-aligned monarchist fascists in government and republican fascists who wanted to pursue neutrality eventually resulted in a republican victory and the loss of the Italian grip on Greece (and, say some, the start of the Italian decline.) The Greco-Turkish "Little Alliance" actually wielded some influence in the region during the 60s, but a series of coups ended Greek relevance. Athens is a city of spies, and every Great Power has their own man in the junta who they hope will become the next President-General.
Turkey: A democracy surrounded by fascist powers, the Turks are cautiously neutral, focusing on internal economic development.
Middle East / North Africa:
Israel: A democracy heavily protected by the UN, the Israelis have a formidable military of their own. While they hate their neighbors only slightly less than they hate them (barring Lebanon), they have enough of a relationship with Egypt to at least usually keep the Suez Canal open.
Morocco is a Spanish puppet whose Sultan spends as much time in Madrid as he does in Rabat, and he even has his own Moroccan Falange.
Algeria is an orthodox fascist state with an utter hatred of the French. Very enthusiastic German allies, and have nasty race laws against the Tuareg population.
Tunisia's "nationalist" government is a joke, with its Presidents willingly selling out their country to Italian interests for a hefty sum. Basically an appendage of the Italian empire.
Egypt's authoritarian but pro-UN monarchy was deposed just before the Suez Crisis. The local fascists are Egyptian nationalists, not pan-Arabists, which infuriates the Syrians.
Israel and Lebanon are very paranoid but free UN-aligned democracies. Considering the Egyptian government, they won't give up the Sinai in a million years.
The Kingdom of Arabia is an absolute monarchy, like OTL Saudi Arabia but less aggressively religious. They don't like the Germans, but they pay better.
Yemen and Oman are dictatorships without much in the way of ideology that have bounced around between the UN and Axis camps over the decades.
Syria...er, excuse me, the United Arab Republic, owns Jordan. The Arab pan-nationalists in the Arab Party are frustrated with the rest of the region's hesitance to get on board, but anyone seeing how the Syrians run Jordan wouldn't be very enthusiastic.
Iraq is run by the Ba'athist Party, also Arab pan-national fascists but with some quasi-socialist tinges; the Strasser to Syria's Hitler. Mainly, they just think they should lead the Arab project instead of the Syrians. They fight constantly, and Syria usually wins.
Iran: After the Shah was ousted in an OSS-sponsored coup when he tried to cozy up to the Germans, Iran was briefly a democracy before being taken over by a left-nationalist junta. Seen as an important UN ally in the region, Iran democratized in two bursts, first in 1980 and then in 1987 when the junta relinquished full power. Now on their Sixth Republic (the junta changed governments thoroughly), the Iranians are a rising economic star and a growing military power as well.
Sub-Saharan Africa:
South Africa is an apartheid state that was kicked out of the Commonwealth in the 1960s. It does own Botswana, and the occupation of it isn't pretty. South Africa isn't directly in the Axis, but they still keep the UN out of the region and that's good enough for the Germans. Angola, Rhodesia and Mozambique are all very, very nasty apartheid states that are about as progressive on race as Germany, if not worse, and South Africa uses them to bully countries it doesn't want to be caught interfering with itself. Zambia, under the rule of a nationalist but pragmatic President-for-life, plays along with the South African gang to avoid getting trodden on. Malawi is a very, very, very paranoid country, but they haven't been conquered yet, so they must be doing something right.
Tanzania broke back up after a few years, and Zanzibar is both pretty prosperous and one of the few genuine democracies in Africa. The Sultan has built casinos, clubs and all kinds of amusements to put Las Vegas to shame. Tanganikya is really regretting splitting back up these days.
The Federal Republic of Senegambia is a democratic republic, and about 20 years away from First World status.
I think enough has been said about Ethiopia elsewhere, quite frankly.
The Central African Empire is run by Bokassa I, who is getting on years, but has a lot more military success to back up his claim to being Napoleon's successor. He was armed by the British and French early on as one of the few African rulers willing to take an explicitly anti-Axis line in the mid-70s, but lately has tried to strengthen the Non-Aligned Movement. He managed to conquer Chad and later Cameroon as they fell into civil war, and is getting ready to pass the throne to his son. Central Africa is pretty well developed, considering, and is the biggest sub-Saharan African power after South Africa and Ethiopia.
Asia:
The People's Republic of Afghanistan never approached the totalitarianism of Stalin, but it has not liberalized to the extent of the modern USSR, either. With the Soviets and Manchurians both deviating from the hardline communist model in various ways, Marxism-Leninism-Tarakism is the new hipster vanguard of international socialism. In fairness, there's equality for women and the cuisine's pretty good.
The Mongolian People's Republic has always jumped when the USSR said "frog," and liberalized with it as well. Actually allows some opposition parties to run nowadays, but the Communists are still in control and their economy is actually more state-owned than the USSR itself nowadays.
Japan, like Germany, had a well-developed exotic weapons program. Mecha were instrumental in the Battle of Hawaii, in which the Japanese captured and held the Hawaiian archipelago for close to six months in early 1942. After a brutal island-hopping campaign, the Americans landed on Taiwan in late 1946 and Okinawa in early 1947. A void bomb dropped on Hiroshima, on the condition that Japan would keep Taiwan and the Emperor. The Americans agreed, seeking an end to the war themselves, and thoroughly de-militarized Japan and more thoroughly eliminated the war criminals in the Japanese government. Since the UN had no need for Japanese rearmament, the country remains without either an army or a Self-Defense Force, the only men under arms being the National Police Force. Along with Korea, however, Japan would reindustrialize with rapid speed with the help of American contractors during the Manchurian and Vietnam Wars. Today, Japan is very rich and very pacifist, with a great deal of transitions of power between the Liberal Party and Socialist Party. While the Chinese still claim Taiwan, most issues were solved in a 1993 agreement creating a devolved Taiwanese Parliament and allowing for free travel of Chinese nationals to and from Taiwan.
Korea is united, and after a period of rule by strongman Syngman Rhee democratized under its Second Republic in 1960. A middle power militarily and a first-rate one economically, it is very close to China politically and advocates a war against Manchuria to remove the regime's threat.
Sri Lanka is a Dominion, and is decently close to London still. Gandhi is a notable citizen here, exiled by Bose during his revolution, and his words were instrumental in preventing a civil war between Tamils and refugees from the Indian mainland. The British eventually made their peace with him, and he spoke out against Boseist India until the day he died.
Thailand is involved in the Non-Aligned Movement, and while it is a kinda-sorta democracy it is suffering a serious case of what we would call "Finlandization" with respect to India. Coups are frequent.
The Democratic Republic of Laos and Socialist Republic of Cambodia are impoverished Soviet satellites, sure, but at least they've avoided civil war and genocide.
Vietnam was granted independence by the French in 1948 as the Empire of Vietnam, which was couped by military officer Ngo Dinh Diem and transformed into the quasi-fascist Republic of Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh met with President Stephenson of the US, who orchestrated a joint Franco-American invasion to quickly topple Diem and install Ho Chi Minh as President. Vietnam has developed remarkably well, and is only slightly poorer than Japan, China and Korea. While the Communist Party (really more social-democratic these days) almost always wins the elections, they aren't jerks about it. Saigon (Uncle Ho had a bit less of an ego TTL) is a happenin' vacation spot.
The Dominion of Malaysia isn't that friendly with the UK these days, but they still have the Governor-General and aren't making plans to get rid of him any time soon.
Indonesia is the only Asian founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement. It has gone through a few different governments, but the current dictator has instituted a hybrid of nationalism and Randism that is actually industrializing the country with some success. Ignore those forced labor allegations, that's just imperialist-socialist-fascist propaganda.
The Dominion of Australia has had an alarming number of quasi-fascist governments in the post-war era. The National Party, a bellicosely nationalist and monarchist outfit, is currently the dominant party in the Australian parliament, and is doing everything it can to avoid letting go of New Guinea, which it invaded in the 1970s to oust a fascist-ish dictator and never quite left. The New Guinea Assembly is almost totally dominated by the Free New Guinea movement, but Sydney has been coming up with excuse after excuse to postpone the referendum. Between this and the passage of a sweeping new security act that greatly expands the government's surveilence powers, there is increasing pressure on the British to tell the Aussies to knock it off.
North America
Canada: The nation is locked in a battle over becoming a republic as well as an increasingly militant Quebecois separatist movement. Historically isolationist, Canadians are choosing between increased integration with Britain (for the conservatives) and the USA (for the liberals.)
Mexico: Normally a fairly calm place, the recent landslide election of the Partido Anarquista Nacional has many observers in Washington on edge as the government experiments in radically free-market economics. They swear they aren't Randists, and don't believe in enacting a "despotism of liberty" to enact radical change, but the US is still suspicious they're a front for the Antioquian drug lords and disgruntled libertists.
Cuba: With no American embargo, Castro was able to develop Cuba a great deal more, and Cuba and Zanzibar duel it out for "party capital of the world."
Central American states: The Partido Americano, a fascist guerrilla group that wants to re-establish the United Provinces of Central America along fascist lines, continues to terrorize the governments from Guatemala to Costa Rica.
South America
Venezuela: The People's Republic of Venezuela is one of the few major oil producing countries that is specifically in the Comintern, which was more important in the Stalinist era than it is today. Not democratic, but pretty relaxed.
Colombia: No matter how much the US prods them, the Colombian government can't seem to crush the Antioquian rebels - probably because Escobar has most of the government ministers in his pocket.
Antioquia: In 1958, a group of American and British radical capitalists inspired by the Objectivist ideologue Ayn Rand received funding from her corporation, Taggart Industries, to filibuster the teetering Colombian government and turn it into a libertarian utopia. The filibusterers made connections with drug lords in Antioquia province and managed to bribe and assassinate enough government officials to proclaim the "Antioquian Free State." The arrangement lasted for about five years, before the drug lords managed to co-opt the Liberty Party and turn the country into a narcostate. In Antioquia, you can buy and sell anything, as long as you don't cross President Escobar. Drug-addled biological terrors skulk through the ruins of Rapture, the now-abandoned purpose-built capital of the Free State. Fighting between Escobar's Liberty Party government, Randist hardliners, Colombian incursions and rival drug lords make it a chaotic place, but somehow business still gets done.
Peru: The People's Republic of Peru was, for a while, the People's Empire of Peru when its wacky dictator decided he was the rightful Emperor of the Spanish Empire, King of Kings, and Jesus's brother. When he invaded Bolivia, a joint Russo-American operation assassinated him and put a government more loyal to Moscow in place. To this day, though, weird cults still exist in the Andes revolving around trying to summon him back to the realm of the living, which will also herald the return of legendary founder-king Manco Capac.
Chile: An eternal battleground between UN and Axis diplomats and spies, Chile has bounced between democracy, left-wing dictatorship, right-wing dictatorship, communist dictatorship, anarcho-capitalist dictatorship (for a few months), and back to democracy again. The current government, led by the social liberal Radical Party, is appealing to the UN for help in putting down a Randist insurrection in Patagonia. Still pretty much first world, despite all that.
Argentina: With a powerful, Integralist Brazil on their doorstep, Argentina was initially a solid member of the UN until a Randist coup overthrew the government in 1953. The new Argentine president, Pedro Eugenio Aramburu, helped codify many of Randism's finer ideological points - the need of a transitory stage of dictatorship to ensure economic and social reform, called the "despotism of liberty," was chief amongst them. His authoritarian radical capitalism was unloved by either the UN or the Axis, and even Rand herself criticized his regime's purging of the Senate. German spies instigated a counter-coup in 1956, bringing Juan Peron back to power in exchange for carefully modifying his platform to be more explicitly fascist. He would then invade the Falkland Islands and force first the British and then the Americans to withdraw in disgrace in a war that lasted until 1973. Argentina remains under a Peronist government today, and is a growing economic power with designs on ursurping Brazil's place as the greatest power in South America.
Europe:
Ireland: Prosperous and the least militarized country in Free Europe, Ireland has historically been France's major partner in furthering European integration. Conveniently, it's also a great way to thumb their noses at the British. Its Sinn Fein government looks set for re-election, which may make the Northern Ireland peace process more difficult still.
Belgium / Luxembourg / Netherlands: The Low Countries are all firm members of the European Cooperation Organization and well-integrated into the French economy. The Dutch have recently put a conservative government in power that may make efforts to resist ECO integration, but for the most part, when France says "frog," the Benelux jumps. Belgium is a major financial center and has a lot of economic muscle, but the Progressive Party resents the dominance of the National Democratic Party and the Belgian Social Union is unhappy with the dominance of Savarin Industries.
Iceland: Loyal British allies in the Council of Europe and European Parliament, Iceland is home to many British and American military bases and agitates for the liberation of its Nordic bretheren in the UNGA. Norway has proven receptive, but the Axis will never let it break its neutrality.
Portugal: After being forced to let go of Angola and Mozambique, and watching the South Africans prop up the remnants of their colonial governments, the Portuguese junta has liberalized quite a bit and even has semi-competitive elections in its national primaries despite being a one-party state. With Spain weak, the UN is wondering if it could stomach Portugal in the ECO and maybe even the UN generally (though it's doubtful Germany would allow the latter.)
Denmark: Probably the most humane of Germany's direct puppet states, the Danes at least get to control their economy, if not their politics. The Danish National Party takes its orders directly from Berlin, despite what its own propaganda says, and the King of Denmark is still in exile in London.
Norway: The only actual democracy in the Axis, Norway has recently be putting out feelers to join the ECO. Berlin would never allow it, however.
Finland: A sort of quasi-democracy, with liberal, socialist and communist parties banned but otherwise with a smorgasboard of choices ranging from Christian democratic to I-can't-believe-it's-not-National Socialism. A solid middle power, and indebted to the Axis for their help in defending against the Soviet Union.
Sweden: A state on the Finnish model, Sweden has far less freedom to act independently from Germany.
Poland: The Polish National Republic is called "the armpit of Europe," and is more a reservation for unwanted Poles (i.e. all of them) in Germany than a functioning state. It is totally and utterly dominated by German political and economic interests and is only really theoretically independent. It's dirt poor, too - worse than many countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
Baltic Union: Being "German-ish" and having once been directly integrated into Grossdeutschland has given the Balts something of a pass compared to the other German puppets in the region. They may only produce cheap industrial goods for the Germans, but they at least have their own army and government, and Berlin has fortunately not rolled in the tanks too many times.
Ruthenia: One step above Poland in the "awfulness of buffer state" rankings, the country also known as Belarus is more like a giant prison camp for Slavs than a real country. It's a nasty place, and every day families risk their lives to cross the border into the relative freedom of Ukraine. (The border with the USSR is far too heavily fortified to make escape there practical.)
Ukraine: The Germans received help from some local Ukrainian elements during their war against the USSR, and rewarded them with a fairly autonomous state. In return, Kiev is very loyal to Berlin, and as far as Germany is concerned, Ukrainians are the only good Slavs there are.
Hungary: The only real Central / Eastern European state that could honestly be called an Axis ally rather than a German or Italian puppet, Hungary was the big winner in the Romanian Spring of 1971. They took the rest of Transylvania that the Nazis hadn't already awarded them.
Romania: After trying to implement "nationalism with a human face" in 1971, Romania has been thoroughly chastized, and now hopes that the big mean countries around them will just go away. A faithful Axis servant, but no longer a willing one.
Croatia: The Italian answer to Poland, but not quite as hideous. At this point, most Croatian nationalists are happy they got left with anything at all.
Bosnia: The Italians wanted to spin off the Mediterranean Muslim states so they could focus on assimilating Libya. For whatever reason, Victor Emmanuel III didn't want the Bosnian throne, so it was given to Marshal Pietro Bagdolio. It became a "republic" when his son became Duce in 1980 and had to renounce the title.
Bulgaria: The Germans decided that the Tsar of Bulgaria would be useful in keeping the country in line, and the Tsardom of Bulgaria is a loyal (if marginally independent) German ally.
Greece: A civil war in Greece between Italian-aligned monarchist fascists in government and republican fascists who wanted to pursue neutrality eventually resulted in a republican victory and the loss of the Italian grip on Greece (and, say some, the start of the Italian decline.) The Greco-Turkish "Little Alliance" actually wielded some influence in the region during the 60s, but a series of coups ended Greek relevance. Athens is a city of spies, and every Great Power has their own man in the junta who they hope will become the next President-General.
Turkey: A democracy surrounded by fascist powers, the Turks are cautiously neutral, focusing on internal economic development.
Middle East / North Africa:
Israel: A democracy heavily protected by the UN, the Israelis have a formidable military of their own. While they hate their neighbors only slightly less than they hate them (barring Lebanon), they have enough of a relationship with Egypt to at least usually keep the Suez Canal open.
Morocco is a Spanish puppet whose Sultan spends as much time in Madrid as he does in Rabat, and he even has his own Moroccan Falange.
Algeria is an orthodox fascist state with an utter hatred of the French. Very enthusiastic German allies, and have nasty race laws against the Tuareg population.
Tunisia's "nationalist" government is a joke, with its Presidents willingly selling out their country to Italian interests for a hefty sum. Basically an appendage of the Italian empire.
Egypt's authoritarian but pro-UN monarchy was deposed just before the Suez Crisis. The local fascists are Egyptian nationalists, not pan-Arabists, which infuriates the Syrians.
Israel and Lebanon are very paranoid but free UN-aligned democracies. Considering the Egyptian government, they won't give up the Sinai in a million years.
The Kingdom of Arabia is an absolute monarchy, like OTL Saudi Arabia but less aggressively religious. They don't like the Germans, but they pay better.
Yemen and Oman are dictatorships without much in the way of ideology that have bounced around between the UN and Axis camps over the decades.
Syria...er, excuse me, the United Arab Republic, owns Jordan. The Arab pan-nationalists in the Arab Party are frustrated with the rest of the region's hesitance to get on board, but anyone seeing how the Syrians run Jordan wouldn't be very enthusiastic.
Iraq is run by the Ba'athist Party, also Arab pan-national fascists but with some quasi-socialist tinges; the Strasser to Syria's Hitler. Mainly, they just think they should lead the Arab project instead of the Syrians. They fight constantly, and Syria usually wins.
Iran: After the Shah was ousted in an OSS-sponsored coup when he tried to cozy up to the Germans, Iran was briefly a democracy before being taken over by a left-nationalist junta. Seen as an important UN ally in the region, Iran democratized in two bursts, first in 1980 and then in 1987 when the junta relinquished full power. Now on their Sixth Republic (the junta changed governments thoroughly), the Iranians are a rising economic star and a growing military power as well.
Sub-Saharan Africa:
South Africa is an apartheid state that was kicked out of the Commonwealth in the 1960s. It does own Botswana, and the occupation of it isn't pretty. South Africa isn't directly in the Axis, but they still keep the UN out of the region and that's good enough for the Germans. Angola, Rhodesia and Mozambique are all very, very nasty apartheid states that are about as progressive on race as Germany, if not worse, and South Africa uses them to bully countries it doesn't want to be caught interfering with itself. Zambia, under the rule of a nationalist but pragmatic President-for-life, plays along with the South African gang to avoid getting trodden on. Malawi is a very, very, very paranoid country, but they haven't been conquered yet, so they must be doing something right.
Tanzania broke back up after a few years, and Zanzibar is both pretty prosperous and one of the few genuine democracies in Africa. The Sultan has built casinos, clubs and all kinds of amusements to put Las Vegas to shame. Tanganikya is really regretting splitting back up these days.
The Federal Republic of Senegambia is a democratic republic, and about 20 years away from First World status.
I think enough has been said about Ethiopia elsewhere, quite frankly.
The Central African Empire is run by Bokassa I, who is getting on years, but has a lot more military success to back up his claim to being Napoleon's successor. He was armed by the British and French early on as one of the few African rulers willing to take an explicitly anti-Axis line in the mid-70s, but lately has tried to strengthen the Non-Aligned Movement. He managed to conquer Chad and later Cameroon as they fell into civil war, and is getting ready to pass the throne to his son. Central Africa is pretty well developed, considering, and is the biggest sub-Saharan African power after South Africa and Ethiopia.
Asia:
The People's Republic of Afghanistan never approached the totalitarianism of Stalin, but it has not liberalized to the extent of the modern USSR, either. With the Soviets and Manchurians both deviating from the hardline communist model in various ways, Marxism-Leninism-Tarakism is the new hipster vanguard of international socialism. In fairness, there's equality for women and the cuisine's pretty good.
The Mongolian People's Republic has always jumped when the USSR said "frog," and liberalized with it as well. Actually allows some opposition parties to run nowadays, but the Communists are still in control and their economy is actually more state-owned than the USSR itself nowadays.
Japan, like Germany, had a well-developed exotic weapons program. Mecha were instrumental in the Battle of Hawaii, in which the Japanese captured and held the Hawaiian archipelago for close to six months in early 1942. After a brutal island-hopping campaign, the Americans landed on Taiwan in late 1946 and Okinawa in early 1947. A void bomb dropped on Hiroshima, on the condition that Japan would keep Taiwan and the Emperor. The Americans agreed, seeking an end to the war themselves, and thoroughly de-militarized Japan and more thoroughly eliminated the war criminals in the Japanese government. Since the UN had no need for Japanese rearmament, the country remains without either an army or a Self-Defense Force, the only men under arms being the National Police Force. Along with Korea, however, Japan would reindustrialize with rapid speed with the help of American contractors during the Manchurian and Vietnam Wars. Today, Japan is very rich and very pacifist, with a great deal of transitions of power between the Liberal Party and Socialist Party. While the Chinese still claim Taiwan, most issues were solved in a 1993 agreement creating a devolved Taiwanese Parliament and allowing for free travel of Chinese nationals to and from Taiwan.
Korea is united, and after a period of rule by strongman Syngman Rhee democratized under its Second Republic in 1960. A middle power militarily and a first-rate one economically, it is very close to China politically and advocates a war against Manchuria to remove the regime's threat.
Sri Lanka is a Dominion, and is decently close to London still. Gandhi is a notable citizen here, exiled by Bose during his revolution, and his words were instrumental in preventing a civil war between Tamils and refugees from the Indian mainland. The British eventually made their peace with him, and he spoke out against Boseist India until the day he died.
Thailand is involved in the Non-Aligned Movement, and while it is a kinda-sorta democracy it is suffering a serious case of what we would call "Finlandization" with respect to India. Coups are frequent.
The Democratic Republic of Laos and Socialist Republic of Cambodia are impoverished Soviet satellites, sure, but at least they've avoided civil war and genocide.
Vietnam was granted independence by the French in 1948 as the Empire of Vietnam, which was couped by military officer Ngo Dinh Diem and transformed into the quasi-fascist Republic of Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh met with President Stephenson of the US, who orchestrated a joint Franco-American invasion to quickly topple Diem and install Ho Chi Minh as President. Vietnam has developed remarkably well, and is only slightly poorer than Japan, China and Korea. While the Communist Party (really more social-democratic these days) almost always wins the elections, they aren't jerks about it. Saigon (Uncle Ho had a bit less of an ego TTL) is a happenin' vacation spot.
The Dominion of Malaysia isn't that friendly with the UK these days, but they still have the Governor-General and aren't making plans to get rid of him any time soon.
Indonesia is the only Asian founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement. It has gone through a few different governments, but the current dictator has instituted a hybrid of nationalism and Randism that is actually industrializing the country with some success. Ignore those forced labor allegations, that's just imperialist-socialist-fascist propaganda.
The Dominion of Australia has had an alarming number of quasi-fascist governments in the post-war era. The National Party, a bellicosely nationalist and monarchist outfit, is currently the dominant party in the Australian parliament, and is doing everything it can to avoid letting go of New Guinea, which it invaded in the 1970s to oust a fascist-ish dictator and never quite left. The New Guinea Assembly is almost totally dominated by the Free New Guinea movement, but Sydney has been coming up with excuse after excuse to postpone the referendum. Between this and the passage of a sweeping new security act that greatly expands the government's surveilence powers, there is increasing pressure on the British to tell the Aussies to knock it off.
I refuse to shut up about Ethiopia!
I still suggest the Ogaden region be sliced off and made part of Somalia.
Also, what might help is a map of which countries are in what bloc.
I still suggest the Ogaden region be sliced off and made part of Somalia.
Also, what might help is a map of which countries are in what bloc.
Why us sydney australia's capital?
(Also ironically in this time line the national party is a primarily rural center-right party in coalition with the liberals )
(Also ironically in this time line the national party is a primarily rural center-right party in coalition with the liberals )
So if the Conservatives win they will start the process of becoming a part of the UK ?
because I derped out lol
Replace all references to "Sydney" with "Canberra." Move along, nothing to see here.
Puerto Rico and Guam.
((EDIT: We apparently aren't supposed to run two threads at once. Please post in the signup thread from now on. Lock this if need be, I suppose.))
Positive Christianity in the Antarctic Reich
(Disclaimer: If you don't understand the concept of fiction, stop reading now)
(Disclaimer: If you don't understand the concept of fiction, stop reading now)
Positive Christianity was created by the Nazi leadership in Antarctica, as a way to bring together the various facets of Nazi ideology and German culture, including Christianity.
In beginning Odin, the All-Father, created man in His image, but not equally, and a son sprung forth from His biceps, who would be called Thor. Thor would rule over humanity justly, supporting the superior races to their rightful place over the inferior races, but some of the lesser races disliked their proper place, and craved above their station. The jealous rival gods also schemed against Thor's righteous rule. A prophet of the pagan god of the sea named Moses was a trusted lieutenant of Thor, who did not know that Moses was secretly a Jew. Moses betrayed Thor, and then lured him into a trap where he collapsed a sea upon Thor and his Aryan army with the help of his pagan god. With Odin's grip on the world weakened, the rival pagan gods would rise to power, and create a powerful civilization from their chosen people, the Romans. The treacherous Jews were left to rot by the pagan gods, who had no love for their treacherous tools.
After centuries of recovery, Odin prepared to take back His world from the usurpers, by spawning another son, from His ribs, named Jesus. He hid this son amidst the Jews, both as an ironic blow against the Roman gods for the betrayal of Moses, and to give them a second chance against the gods who had used and abandoned them. Jesus was to lead his people to a new kingdom, and renew faith in the One True All-Father, bringing down the pagan gods of Rome. But the treacherous Jews once more betrayed him to the Romans and set him upon a cross to die. Yet the son of Odin would not die so easily, and he had no fear of their trifling threats. He remained convinced that the Jews could be redeemed, and hence spoke "Forgive them Father, they know not what they do". Alas, the Roman gods were aware of Odin's plotting, and sent their agent Longinus with the spear Gungnir, stolen from Thor after he was immersed in the sea. Only by a weapon of the All-Father could one of His sons be struck down, and thus did Longinus kill Jesus. Without Jesus, his apostles had no further direction, and were misdirected by Roman illusions to wrongfully interpret the teachings of Christ, making them pacifistic, rather than warlike. Also, the Jews lied and told everyone Jesus was a Jew.
But the Roman gods underestimated the followers of Christ, who spread far beyond their expectations. No matter how many they killed, more emerged. Odin did not care, for His second son was dead, and those who followed his name were wrongful in their direction. However eventually a man emerged who saw the truth of Christ's teachings. Constantine of the Roman Empire saw a sign that showed him he should conquer under the symbol of Christ. War and conquest, survival of the fittest, such were the true teachings of Christ. Under such faith he seized the Empire, and broke the power of the Roman gods, who slowly died out. Yet before their final death, they cursed the people of Rome to give into decadence. Odin could no longer stand the weakness Rome showed, and thus commanded His loyal followers outside the Empire to crush it, ending the Roman Empire, and the Roman gods. Odin then withdrew from the world for over a millenia.
The inferior races dominated earth for most of its history, but that changed in the 20th century, and thus Odin was stirred anew to save His people. Thus He created a third son, who emerged from His tongue. This son was Hitler. Hitler would unite the Aryan people and nearly liberate the world, before being betrayed by Jew lovers within Germany. He then gave his blessing to his chosen successor Himmler, and then returned to Valhalla with his father Odin. Himmler would rule as Fuhrer for the remnants of the True Third Reich, taking them to the pure realm of Antarctica, until he too was called to Valhalla, though he will always remain the Eternal Fuhrer. His legacy lives on, and the Guidance from Valhalla will surely lead the Third Reich to reclaim its Fatherland one day.
While the official policy is to treat Thor, Jesus, and Hitler as a Holy Trinity as sons of Odin, many view it differently. Some view the three as aspects or extensions of Odin, making them a Holy Quartet. Others view Odin as an aspect of the true All-Father, with the other three being either Odin's sons or other aspects of the All-Father in this interpretation. A few even view Constantine as a son of Odin. A particular fringe group also believes that Antarctica is the Holy Land of the Aryans, and its purity in temperature and extremes makes it the place when civilization must be centered, rejecting plans to return to the "Fatherland" of Germany, though they still want to kill the sub-humans. Many of these separate interpretations overlap in the minds of some members. Suffice to say, while Positive Christianity has created a somewhat viable religion for the Antarctic Reich, it has not acted as an entirely unifying force.
The Pillar of Truth and Dispenser of Grace
The Holy See, 1929-1997
But it is His will, that the worship He instituted and practiced during His life on earth shall continue ever afterwards without intermission. For he has not left mankind an orphan. He still offers us the support of His powerful, unfailing intercession, acting as our "advocate with the Father." He aids us likewise through His Church, where He is present indefectibly as the ages run their course: through the Church which He constituted "the pillar of truth" and dispenser of grace, and which by His sacrifice on the cross, He founded, consecrated and confirmed forever.
-- Pius XII, Mediator Dei
Pope Pius XII after his coronation
In his first encyclical as Supreme Pontiff, Summi Pontificatus, the Pope obliquely criticised the racial policies of the Nazi regime on the eve of war over Poland; condemning:
"the forgetfulness of that law of human solidarity and charity which is dictated and imposed by our common origin and by the equality of rational nature in all men, to whatever people they belong, and by the redeeming Sacrifice offered by Jesus Christ on the Altar of the Cross to His Heavenly Father on behalf of sinful mankind."
as well as sharply and angrily decrying the invasion of Poland itself, calling to mind
"Our dear Poland, which, for its fidelity to the Church, for its services in the defense of Christian civilization, written in indelible characters in the annals of history, has a right to the generous and brotherly sympathy of the whole world, while it awaits, relying on the powerful intercession of Mary, Help of Christians, the hour of a resurrection in harmony with the principles of justice and true peace."
and would continue to skilfully criticise the German regime in important documents and encyclicals such as Mit brennender Sorge and Mystici corporis Christi. While the difficulties of his position in the literal heart of one of Germany's strongest allies, as well as his desire to avoid the (greater) persecution of Catholic populations in Germany and Eastern Europe, kept Pius XII from condemning outright and in name the German program against the Jews he did approve of programs by the Church to save Jews. Under his pontificate many Jews were baptised and given Catholic identities to protect them, at the same time as many monasteries secretly sheltered Jewish refugees and the Vatican used it's diplomatic clout to smuggle them from Europe.
The Pope in audience with a number of Italian soldiers, fresh from defending Italy from the Allied landings at Anzio; just south of Rome and the Vatican
After the overthrow of Hitler and the end of the war, the Pope re-negotiated a second Reichskonkordat with the vaguely more moderate German government; and even visited the Reich towards the end of his life in 1952. Marking the first time in well over a century that a Pope had left Italy the Papal visit to Munich was primarily to help heal deep rifts in German society and encourage Catholic participation in the life of the state. Aside from dealing with the secular affairs of the world, the Pope also took especial care to tend to the spiritual development and welfare of the Church. Continuing the liturgical reform that was begun under the venerable Saint Pope Pius X which encouraged greater lay participation in the liturgy. Although seen by both historians and theologians as mainly presaging the reforms undertaken by his successors, the reforms of Pius XII were important in their own right. The Pope's directive to allow Chinese Catholics to continue Confucian rites as a way of honouring their ancestors (finally settling the Chinese Rites controversy that dated back to Gregory XVI) opened entirely new doors for Catholic missionary activity in Asia; while his lessening the requirements of fasting before receiving the Eucharist and introducing evening masses led to increased church attendence throughout the Catholic world.
Most significant, however, were the incredibly controversial Holy Week Reforms of 1955. In these, the Pope -- advised by the influential liberal theologian and liturgist Msgr Annibale Bugnini -- altered some of the most important rites and rituals in the entirety of the Roman Catholic Church. The rubrics of the Mass and rites for Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Palm Sunday were all greatly modified. A great furor arose over whether these reforms were appropriate, especially in light of the significant overhaul of the liturgical calendar -- which abolished and also introduced a great number of feasts, reduced the number of octaves, etc -- and accusations that the ailing Pope was being manipulated began to take on a life of their own. On the 9th of October, 1958, Pope Pius XII died of a sudden heart attack; claimed by his doctors to have been a result of stress and overwork.
A photograph from the coronation of Pope John XXIII in Rome, November 1958
The Second Vatican Council was convoked on the 11th of October, 1962 after years of preparations. It would be known as the apogee of John XXIII's pontificate, the defining legacy which he bequeathed to the world. However, it was not his only landmark moment. The encyclical Pacem in terris, which was written and released shortly before his death, outlined a comprehensive new vision for Catholic Social Teaching. Taking the lessons of Leo XIII's Rerum Novarum and applying them to the modern age, most famous and perhaps most emblematic of the entire encyclical was the opening line:
Pacem in terris, quam homines universi cupidissime quovis tempore appetiverunt, condi confirmarique non posse constat, nisi ordine, quem Deus constituit, sancte servato.
"Peace on earth, for which all men of every era have most eagerly yearned, cannot be firmly established unless the order which God laid down is dutifully observed."
The order which God laid down here meant something very different than had, perhaps, been classically understood in the Roman Catholic Church. Tellingly, Pacem in terris was the first encyclical not addressed specifically to Christians (usually understood, of course, as referring to Catholics exclusively) but rather to all "men of good will". And instead of merely Catholics, it truly was all men of good will who mourned when the Pope passed away shortly after convoking the Council; on 3 June 1963. The conclave convened to elect a successor was vital, as the successor would be the one to guide the Council to its conclusion. After three days and six ballots, Giovanni Cardinal Montini, noted liberal theologian and a favourite of Pope John XXIII, was elected as Pope Paul VI. If John XXIII's pontificate would be defined by convoking the Council, his would be in molding and finishing it.
Bishops listening to an intervention during a session of the Council
Such abuses were swiftly corrected, however, and the Holy See took steps to make sure that "the spirit of Vatican II" was correctly implemented according to the spirit of the documents. The Mass of Paul VI, promulgated in 1969, retained the use of Latin in addition to the vernacular, encouraged celebration of the Mass ad orientem, and the use of traditional liturgical music. Documents such as Lumen gentium, Gaudium et spes, and Dignitatis humanae would earn their places in history as the flagship documents for a new direction of the Church; one which respected and embraced tradition, as well as her salvific role as the one true church of Christ, but within the context of open inclusiveness in a world which sorely lacked it.
The rest of Paul VI's pontificate would be spent travelling around the globe in pastoral visits now that airplane technology fully came into it's own; and guiding the reforms he had implemented. It was during the end of his pontificate that a new theological movement arose, primarily in the United States, called sedevacantism; which held that the Papal see was vacant and Paul VI was an antipope, rejecting the Council as heresy. As well, stories swirled that the Pope had been imprisoned and replaced with a double, or manipulated during the course of the Council. One particularly poignant story circulated: as the Pope dressed in liturgical garments to celebrate the Octave of Pentecost, he was informed by an aide that it had been abolished during the course of the Council. Pope Paul promptly burst into tears. But beside a handful of diehard traditionalists, Paul VI would be remembered as a skilfully navigator of the Barque of St Peter; steering the Church towards needed, but not reckless, reform.
The body of Pope Paul VI lying in state at the Vatican; 1978
The conclave lasted five days, in a noted departure from the short conclave which elected John Paul VI, and was reputed to be a bitter battle between conservatives and liberals. Ultimately the conservatives prevailed, electing Giuseppe Cardinal Siri; who took the name Gregory XVII. Pope Gregory was a strong proponent of interpreting the Council 'in the light of Tradition' and was reputedly a favourite of the Fascist regime in Rome. His pontificate has been marked by sparring with the more liberal interpretations of the Council in France and the Americas; but has been --somewhat refreshingly -- quiet.
((TL;DR 'Reform of the reform' is TTL mainstream, OTL mainstream is left-liberalism, only popular in South America and parts of Allied Europe))
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OSS WORLD FACTBOOK
PERSON OF IMPORT: ZHAO HUGUANG WEI
Only known picture, C. 1965
Legal Name: 招呼廣為 (Zhāohū Guǎng Wèi)PERSON OF IMPORT: ZHAO HUGUANG WEI
Only known picture, C. 1965
English Name: Zhao Huguang Wei
Nicknames: Ükhel khaalgach (Mongolian Tr: Death Keeper), Dōukěwèi (Chinese Tr: Duke Wei), Zhǔxí (Chinese Tr: The Chairman)
Birthplace: Beiping
Date of Birth: 1948 (~49)
Position: Chairman of the Central Committee of Internal Affairs, Chairman of the Committee for the Discovery of Hard Workers, Member of the Inner Council, Jiangong 1
Achievement of Note: Synthesis of the Secret Police and the Jiangong Committees, The Guà Mǎ Shìyàn (Tr: Hanged Horses Trials), Not Dying
History:
Born roughly in 1948, Zhao Huguang Wei was originally born in occupied Beiping. Taken by Red Chinese soldiers while still an infant, he was raised in a state orphanage, where he had to survive through manipulative brutality. This trait would become inherent to his very essence, as the excessiveness of his brutality was inflamed during his stints in the People's Revolutionary Army, the Mao Loyal Police and Intelligence Organisation, and finally (and most importantly) the Central Committee on Mongolian Administration.
He was discovered by Mao Zedong in 1970 during his loan to the Central Committee on Mongolian Administration from the Mao Loyal Police and Intelligence Organisation. Though but a lowly Jiangong 3 at the time, he ferociousness in "finding and bringing justice to the Mongolian counter-revolutionary infestation" warmed the heart of the nearly dead Mao Zedong. Raising him to the position of Jiangong 1 and thrusting him into the Central Committee of Internal Affairs, Zhao perhaps exemplifies the excesses of the late Zedong regime with the Guà Mǎ Shìyàn (See Article: Guà Mǎ Shìyàn).
The death of Zedong in 1972 left Zhao in a tricky position, as Anying came into power. Anying never liked Zhao, finding him fanatically devoted to his father (as opposed to him) and deported him to oversee the Central Committee on Mongolian Administration as a liaison from the Central Committee of Internal Affairs, hoping that Zhao would find himself on the unfortunate side of a Mongolian placed car bomb.
Unfortunately for Anying, this simply made him an enemy. Zhao simply started to remove the Mongolian populace, engaging in a proactive and militaristic policy of Manchuriation in the Inner Mongolian Provinces. This brought him the attention of Anqing, who brought Zhao into his inner circle. There Zhao settled down as the attack dog of the Anqing camp, fiercely defending the Anqing branch and executing anyone who thought otherwise on the flimist of pretexts.
Zhao would be raised to the position of Central Committee of Internal Affairs again once Anying was deposed in 1980, and would spread his influence where ever he could. A favourite of Anqing and the less sane Xinyu, Zhao took control of the Committee for the Discovery of Hard Workers, essentially allowing him to dictate who could be what level of Jiangong.
Whispered Ükhel khaalgach (Mongolian Tr: Death Keeper) by the Mongolians, derided as Dōukěwèi (Chinese Tr: Duke Wei) by his enemies, and reverently titled as Zhǔxí (Chinese Tr: The Chairman) by his followers, Zhao is one of the most important men in Red China, and one of the most influential men in regards to the decisions of the Mao.
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