New New Version[]
Okay, so I'm getting ready to start the new new version of this Timeline, so first I should probably state that the talkpage is really my drawing board-that is, a place where I fling around ideas before I start going edit-happy so I can gain insight in how exactly I'm going to do my Timeline.
Second, really don't take what I post here too seriously. What suggestions and conclusions made here may not necessarily reflect what is actually going on in the TL.
So, with that said, here's a bit of stuff I've been wondering about, which I had originally posted on LG's personal talkpage but the list became too long, so I'm transferring it here. Take your time.
- While I am not a complete expert on history, I believe I can answer a few of your questions. My answers will be in bullets underneath each question. ChrisL123 (talk) 21:14, October 6, 2014 (UTC)
What would be required to have the HRE be in the position retain her Italian possessions during the Peace of Westphalia or any time during the TYW? By this I mean having a Switzerland or Netherlands-type relationship with the Empire, which eventually strenghtens a bit. Would killing off Oxenstierna and Gustavus Adolphus and maybe a couple French generals help? Was England involved in the war? If so, could England be forced out due to civil war? I'm looking more for a stalemate or compromise kind of thing, not so much as an HRE victory, though that's be nice.
- Despite what many Wikipedia images show of the HRE, I'm almost certain that the northern Italian states (notably Savoy, Tuscany, Milan, Parma, Modena, among others) did not leave the Empire, and that (most of them) stayed with the Empire until Napoleon caused its collapse in the late 18th century.
In a stalemate or compromise, would the HRE be more lenient with the Protestants?
- Depending on how "lenient" you are wondering, they were somewhat lenient in OTL (in theory, anyway); individual states for the most part could decide their religious beliefs for their people, so the Protestants did have a bit more recognition.
What would Spanish withdrawal from the war due in 1640? Would the Austrians seize Spanish possessions in Italy in retaliation (in context with the times, not modern Italy) during or after the war?
- Spain was on the same side as Austria (being Catholics, and all)... so not sure about that.
Could it be possible to have the HRE so weakened that there would exist in effect two, with a Protestant Emperor claiming authority in the north and a catholic Austrian Emperor claiming authority in the south?
- While an interesting idea, probably unlikely. If the HRE was weakened to that point, it might just collapse entirely, resulting in the self-rule of the many states.
Also, I'd like to do proper copyrights for my flags and such, so I'd like to know which templates are available other than self. I can't seem to find any others. Yes I've looked.
Could Remi Joesph Isidore Exelmans work as a replacement for Napoleon? Would it be acceptable to have him give himself a new name, recalling Roman Emperors like Augustus, particularly if he was marrying into an important noble family like the Orleanist Bourbons?
Though, since there'll be almost two centuries before Napoleon would rise to power, if I were to have him in his OTL role which would be very unlikely, couldn't I just have him have a slightly different personality so he claims kingship?
I guess I could also just have a Revolutionary France that asserts dominance over Western Europe, but after Italy and Germany unite against France, they could put the Bourbons back in power, with territorial revisions of course.
Is a French colonial empire like this possible, minus Liberia, Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea, Spanish Ifni, Tangier, Ceuta and Melilla, plus Namibia minus Walvis Bay, OTL French islands that were a part of the empire and part of France OTL, as well as OTL European and Indochinese boundaries?
Speaking of colonial powers, if major colonial empires begin to change a la Twilight of a New Era, could, by the present day, countries in Africa and Asia be better developed and a lot more stable? I mean, this does depend a huge deal on politics, disasters, and a whole lot of factors, but in general would things be better off?
Also, is the HDI a good reference to use for human development? Cause certain ones seem a bit biased and fluctuate greatly in what is considered development.
If the Northwest Territories aren't purchased by Canada, but are eventually absorbed by "Assiniboia", Canada probably won't be a player on the world stage?
- Most likely not.
And in the US minus Adams Onis, when the British Empire begins to abolish slavery, would the South rise in rebellion? How long would that last? Would they first try to establish a southern dominion with special rights than turn to forming something akin to the CSA or to a Free United States?
And, if South Africa (as a bilingual Anglo-Dutch British dominion and supporter of Commonwealth) is pressured enough by Britain into getting rid of Apartheid in 1968/1969, a civil war would break out, right?
Is it possible to have Italy make Ethiopia a protectorate akin to France's Protectorate of Morocco? If this relationship is possible, Italy would likely give the Tigray region to "Eritrea" while giving the eastern parts of the country to "Somalia"?
Oh, and is Aksai Chin the only region where China can link Tibet with Xinjiang, or are there other passes I'm notaware about?
And again...I know I've mentioned this a lot, but what alternate possibilities are there with nuclear weapons? Yes, they'll come around no matter what way you put it, unless an experiment kills lots of people or even a test kills spectators? Would there be a need for them if the USSR-USA is replaced by rivalry between the Russian and British Empires and later Commonwealths? Does that even matter? Would the most likely possiblity would be either having nukes outdone by anti-nuke technology or having regulations in place so rocket-bound nukes are outlawed but conventional, plane-bound nukes are allowed, but limited? Any other possiblities, please let me now.
This also brings alternative energy again, but I have a new approach. Could it be possible to have extraction and processing techniques of oil, natural gas, and coal refined to a point where they are barely harmful to the environment? Can it be possible to have more of a balance between traditional energy techs and alternative ones, namely wind and solar?
Can the Hashemites, Sauds, or Rashids proclaim a Caliphate after the Ottoman Empire ends? Obviously, their territory would probably be very limited unless pan-Arab nationalist movements strengthen after the colonial powers pull out of the Arab states.
- There technically was a Hashemite Caliphate in Hejaz, proclaimed by Hussein bin Ali, but not really recognized, and ended with the Saudi rule of the kingdom. Curious as to the exact reason one wasn't claimed after the fall of the Ottoman one, but there was a conference in the 1920s seeking to initiate a new one; however, most Muslim countries were not too interested in the idea.
Would it be possible for Japan to start a Second World War if Germany doesn't go the OTL way? Or is Russia a possibility, since it'll be more conservative than socialist (and certainly not communist) and will not recover it's lost territory (retaining I think most of Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, as well as OTL Russia minus Kaliningrad). Would a fascist Russia make allies with whatever fascist-inclined nations there are in Europe and Asia to distract the British Empire and Co? How long would it take before Russian surrender in such a scenario? Obviously, it will reach a Japan-like settlement, but how much territory would be partitioned and given independence? Would a Holocaust affect this?
Or, if I have Fascism nipped in the bud, but National Socialism on the terms of FTBW gaining power in Eastern Europe, would a genocidal rampant Russia ruin true socialism for liberal democracies? Though, that doesn't seem to be the case for FTBW and I'm planning on having Germany go that way.
If I decide not to have a Holocaust at all, would any large-scale genocide by referred to as a Holocaust? The Armenian and Circassian genocides will probably be considered the worst in history? Going back to fascism, could it be possible to have fascism discredited after fascist states, parties, and partisan groups stage particularly nasty pogroms against not only Jews, but anyone deemed undesirable for whichever society's standards?
Now, I'm not sure what I'm going with the United States. It can come into being in this TL, but I'm not sure if I want it to win its independence from the British, or be granted self-government, depending on whether or not a certain someone is Governor of Virginia in this TL. Obviously, there'd be major ramifications for a Royalist USA, hence three paragraphs up.
With a stronger British Commonwealth, could the Commonwealth realms have civil ensigns made co-official? For example, having Canada's Red Ensign as the official state flag while the Maple Leaf Flag would be the national flag?
Are these two good for references? http://www.deviantart.com/art/Europe-AD-1648-The-Peace-of-Westphalia-365517205
http://undevicesimus.deviantart.com/art/Europe-AD-1556-The-Age-of-Habsburg-36396495
Canuck2012 (talk) 03:12, July 23, 2014 (UTC)Canuck2012