Yes, it's the sequel to Karolek's story that I promised. I finally started
it! Bravo for me.
What follows is back history for the Russian Prince universe, as requested by Pig Sticker. I figured I'd post it here, in case people didn't get to see it on the original thread. If you haven't read it, I suggest you read chapter 2 and chapter 6. They're the most important for the time being.
Anyway, back history of the Turtledove 20th century, ala me.
Lee does not lose at Gettysburg. He wins, and both Great Britain and France tell Lincoln that the US must acknoledge the existence of the Confederacy or face a war with them. Lincoln does, and quite bitterly. Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma (known in the storyverse as Sequoyah) become the CSA. So too does Cuba. Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Deleware, Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Dakota Territory (both Dakotas), Montana, Colorado, Wyoming Territory, Utah Territory, Idaho Territory, Washington Territory, Nevada, and California remain in the United States.
Following his defeat in the election of 1864, Lincoln becomes enamored of Marxism. He convinces half of the Republican party to join the Socialists with him. The two major parties in the US become the Democrats and the Socialists, with a tiny Republican group in the Midwest. (How Few Remain)
In 1881, the US and CS go to war over the CS purchase of Chihuahua and Sonora from the Empire of Mexico. The US loses. Again. Badly. Becomes obsessed with gaining revenge against the CS. The CS is forced by Britain, in exchange for a continued alliance, to free their slaves. Blacks are freed, but are not citizens, and as such their lives don't improve much at all. They're essentially slaves with play. Many become closet Socialists. (How Few Remain)
WWI arrives with the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. The CS, Great Britain, France, and Canada go to war agains the US, Imperial Germany, and the Austrians. The worst front in the US is the Roanoke front in Virginia, followed by Tennessee (headed by an overly aggressive and not scalped George Armstrong Custer), along with the eastern Canadian fronts.
The US and Germany win in a most convincing fashion, partially aided by the black Socialist revolt of 1916. The US takes back a large chunk of northern Virginia, all of Kentucky, parts of Arkansas, all of Sequoyah, and part of Texas and Sonora. The bit of Texas becomes the US state of Houston. Sonora, Sequoyah, and Canada are placed under military occupation, along with Mormon Utah (which had its own revolt and is not in really good favor). Quebec becomes its own republic under the "wing" of the US. The CS gets slammed with what is essentially the Treaty of Versailles, having to pay millions in reparations and losing most of it's military. They end up with essentially the same problems as Germany after WWI, including runaway inflation and internal instability. Germany does the same to France, but that's not covered much. (Great War series)
After the war, the Socialists take power in the US, then lose it when the stock market crashes. In the time frame of the story, Hoover has just been ousted as the Democratic president of the US and replaced by Socialist Al Smith. This is in 1936, Hoover is not president when the market crashes in '29.
In the CS, the Freedom party (think the Nazis with southern accents) has taken power on a wave of (partially forced) popular support. They are led by the fanatical and maniacally calculating Jake Featherston. Featherston us butter about a lot of things for a lot of reasons, mostly at the blacks for rising up during the war. He's slowly cleaning house, and is continuing with his old habits of having his goons assassinate anyone who gets in his way. (American Empire series, books 1 and 2)
In the last book of the series thus far, The Victorious Opposition, Smith adopts a policy of appeasement towards Featherston and the Freedom party, who are slowly starting to rearm the CS. He's also treating CS blacks much the way Hitler initially treated the Jews in Europe. The US and CS agree to plebscites in Kentucky and Houston, both of which choose to go back to the CS. The US keeps Sequoyah and Canada under military occupation. Featherston is itching for his chance to swing back at the US, and is starting to move into place for an invasion. The US doesn't seem to know it's about to be dragged into another was (in 1939, same as our world).
Turtledove is supposedly writing WWII now.
Hope this helps set up the world of the stories.
What follows is back history for the Russian Prince universe, as requested by Pig Sticker. I figured I'd post it here, in case people didn't get to see it on the original thread. If you haven't read it, I suggest you read chapter 2 and chapter 6. They're the most important for the time being.
Anyway, back history of the Turtledove 20th century, ala me.
Lee does not lose at Gettysburg. He wins, and both Great Britain and France tell Lincoln that the US must acknoledge the existence of the Confederacy or face a war with them. Lincoln does, and quite bitterly. Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma (known in the storyverse as Sequoyah) become the CSA. So too does Cuba. Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Deleware, Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Dakota Territory (both Dakotas), Montana, Colorado, Wyoming Territory, Utah Territory, Idaho Territory, Washington Territory, Nevada, and California remain in the United States.
Following his defeat in the election of 1864, Lincoln becomes enamored of Marxism. He convinces half of the Republican party to join the Socialists with him. The two major parties in the US become the Democrats and the Socialists, with a tiny Republican group in the Midwest. (How Few Remain)
In 1881, the US and CS go to war over the CS purchase of Chihuahua and Sonora from the Empire of Mexico. The US loses. Again. Badly. Becomes obsessed with gaining revenge against the CS. The CS is forced by Britain, in exchange for a continued alliance, to free their slaves. Blacks are freed, but are not citizens, and as such their lives don't improve much at all. They're essentially slaves with play. Many become closet Socialists. (How Few Remain)
WWI arrives with the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. The CS, Great Britain, France, and Canada go to war agains the US, Imperial Germany, and the Austrians. The worst front in the US is the Roanoke front in Virginia, followed by Tennessee (headed by an overly aggressive and not scalped George Armstrong Custer), along with the eastern Canadian fronts.
The US and Germany win in a most convincing fashion, partially aided by the black Socialist revolt of 1916. The US takes back a large chunk of northern Virginia, all of Kentucky, parts of Arkansas, all of Sequoyah, and part of Texas and Sonora. The bit of Texas becomes the US state of Houston. Sonora, Sequoyah, and Canada are placed under military occupation, along with Mormon Utah (which had its own revolt and is not in really good favor). Quebec becomes its own republic under the "wing" of the US. The CS gets slammed with what is essentially the Treaty of Versailles, having to pay millions in reparations and losing most of it's military. They end up with essentially the same problems as Germany after WWI, including runaway inflation and internal instability. Germany does the same to France, but that's not covered much. (Great War series)
After the war, the Socialists take power in the US, then lose it when the stock market crashes. In the time frame of the story, Hoover has just been ousted as the Democratic president of the US and replaced by Socialist Al Smith. This is in 1936, Hoover is not president when the market crashes in '29.
In the CS, the Freedom party (think the Nazis with southern accents) has taken power on a wave of (partially forced) popular support. They are led by the fanatical and maniacally calculating Jake Featherston. Featherston us butter about a lot of things for a lot of reasons, mostly at the blacks for rising up during the war. He's slowly cleaning house, and is continuing with his old habits of having his goons assassinate anyone who gets in his way. (American Empire series, books 1 and 2)
In the last book of the series thus far, The Victorious Opposition, Smith adopts a policy of appeasement towards Featherston and the Freedom party, who are slowly starting to rearm the CS. He's also treating CS blacks much the way Hitler initially treated the Jews in Europe. The US and CS agree to plebscites in Kentucky and Houston, both of which choose to go back to the CS. The US keeps Sequoyah and Canada under military occupation. Featherston is itching for his chance to swing back at the US, and is starting to move into place for an invasion. The US doesn't seem to know it's about to be dragged into another was (in 1939, same as our world).
Turtledove is supposedly writing WWII now.
Hope this helps set up the world of the stories.