Timeline / Kaiserreich: Legacy of the Weltkrieg

1914: Where it All Began

• While visiting Sarajevo on the 28th of June, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie are assassinated by Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip. In reaction, Austria-Hungary sends an ultimatum to Serbia, whose contents are deliberately made unacceptable to the Serbs. Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia shortly after receiving German backing. Russia in turn declares war on Austria-Hungary and Germany. Germany, wanting to knock France out of the war before it can assist its Russian ally, declares war on France on August 3rd.

1917: For Want of a Nail...

• January 8th. Kaiser Wilhelm hears arguments from the military leaders, Generals Erich Ludendorff and Paul von Hindenburg, in favor of reopening unrestricted submarine warfare in an attempt to starve Great Britain and France of trans-Atlantic supplies. The Kaiser, having noticed Ludendorff and Hindenburg's rising power in the Empire, is weary of their advice, and as such he ultimately decides against this course of action. This is the Point of Divergence from real life history. In the moment, all the Kaiser's decision amounts to is simply a slight delay of Ludendorff and Hindenburg's ambitions, but the consequences further down the line will be much more far reaching...

• Chancellor von Bethmann-Hollweg is forced to resign and is replaced by Georg Michaelis. It is soon clear that Michaelis is little more than a puppet for Generals von Hindenburg and Ludendorff.

• On the Western Front, the heavy French casualties at Chemin des Dames lead to a strike among the French soldiers. This disaster discourages the French high-command from launching further great offensives until the end of the year, giving Germany a chance to recover from the Brusilov Offensive.

• March 1917: Russia collapses into anarchy. Tsar Nicholas II abdicates. A provisional government is formed under Alexander Kerensky, but this government is overthrown by Lenin's Bolsheviks in November, starting the Russian Civil War.

• April 2, 1917. President Woodrow Wilson asks the United States Congress to declare war on the Central Powers. Journalist John "Jack" Reed denounces the effort in scathing articles throughout the United States. Through his efforts and others, public opinion is firmly against intervention and the vote fails. The United States remains neutral for the rest of the conflict.

• In Italy the Caporetto Offensive beats the Italians back to the Piave river where only a last minute defense saves Venice from occupation.

• The Ottomans receive blow after blow in the Middle East, with both Baghdad and Jerusalem being lost to British forces.

• A British submarine mistakenly torpedoes an American freighter carrying Christmas gifts to Germany, killing several US citizens. The public backlash forces a partial opening of the blockade, averting famine in Central Europe.

• Jack Reed travels to Russia as a war correspondent, writing in support of the Bolshevik Reds.

1918: It Continues...

• In early March the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk is signed between the Germans and the Bolsheviks, freeing thousands of German and Austrian troops for other fronts. The Bolsheviks cede Finland, the Baltic states, Congress Poland, Belarus and Ukraine to the Germans.

• A great Allied spring offensive, designed at breaking the German lines before their reinforcements arrive, is repulsed at great cost.

• Operation Teutoberg is launched, attempting to kick Greece out of the war. Instead of assaulting the Salonika stronghold head on, the Central Powers make use of specialized storm-troopers and so called "infiltration" tactics. The defenders at Salonika are pinned down while the rest of the German-Bulgarian forces sweep through Greece. Athens falls on July 3rd, causing the Greek government to surrender. The western forces at Salonika are evacuated.

• Anti-Bolshevik White Russian forces of the "Volunteer Army" under General Lavr Kornilov retreat south from Rostov across the frozen Kuban steppe from February to May. The famous "Ice March" campaign concludes with Kornilov narrowly escaping death from an artillery shell on his headquarters during the Battle of Yekaterinodar. The city's capture cements the Whites' control over the Kuban Cossack heartland.

• General Allenby manages to pull off the last great Allied victory of the war, encircling and destroying large parts of the Ottoman Army and conquering Damascus. Only the last minute arrival of two German divisions in Asia Minor prevents an outright invasion of Anatolia.

• Vladimir Lenin, the famous leader of the Russian Bolsheviks, is assassinated by Fanny Kaplan following the Bolsheviks' suppression of the Left SRs. Lev Kamenev quickly succeeds Lenin, but Bolshevik spirits are shaken.

• Successful Allied tactics against Germany's U-boats and the blockade of Germany leads to a desperate sally of the Hochseeflotte, now led by Admiral Hipper. The Second Battle of Jutland ends in a tie, but the shock of being assaulted forces the Royal Navy to break their blockade. The total end of the blockade and the influx of Ukrainian grain ends all fears of Germany being starved into submission.

• Meanwhile, Kaiser Karl, under pressure by the continuously crumbling homefront and swelling spirit of revolution, issues the Völkermanifest, promising national self-determination within the Austro-Hungarian Empire once the war is won, placating Austria's numerous ethnic minorities. Even though the manifesto does not pose any demands to Hungary, self-determination of a Croat state is agreed upon by both sides of the Dual Monarchy by the end of October, resulting in the Kingdom of Croatia achieving the same status as Hungary.

• After almost a month of negotiations between the anti-Bolshevik Constituent Assembly and Siberian governments, Admiral Aleksandr Kolchak reluctantly launches a British-backed coup to unite the fractious Whites. The situation is salvaged by the arrival of Boris Savinkov, who convinces Kolchak to accept many of the SR's demands, and limit his power to only supreme command over military affairs.

• The Great War Boom in Japan ends as the "Rice Riots" break out across the home islands.

1919: One Swift Strike and the War is Over...

• January 18th. Jack Reed first meets Leon Trostky and Vladimir Lenin during a break at the Soviet Constituent Assembly.

• March 2nd. The Germans launch their Great Offensive at St. Mihiel, south of Verdun. Their infiltration tactics prove to be successful, with Nancy falling on the 16th. The French organize an ad-hoc defense, leaving their flank exposed. An attack on Reims on the 26th splits the Allied forces in two. An attack on Château-Thierry means the French cannot retreat back to the Marne. The entire French army is forced to retreat south. Paris is placed under siege by the German Army.

• March 11th. Operation Radowitz is launched by the Central Powers. Italian forces are attacked from Trento instead of the Piave. Vicenza and Verona fall on the 24th, pinning the Italians between two Central armies after Venice is reached on the 10th of April. The Siege of Venice would last until July, but with most of the Italian army occupied the rest of Italy lies defenseless. Rome falls on August 1st. Italy surrenders a few days later. The surrender of Italy means the road to Southern France is now open, with Marseilles falling in September.

• In Mexico, General Álvaro Obregón decides to use his immense popularity to run in the 1920 presidential elections. President Venustiano Carranza announces he will not run for another term, endorsing diplomat Ignacio Bonillas in the election.

• As Italy collapses, Empress Zewditu of Ethiopia and Sayyid al-Hasan of the Dervish State declare war on the former nation, retaking their territory from Italian colonial rule and reversing European colonization of Africa for the first time.

• Allied setbacks lead to Allenby and most of his troops being redeployed to France. Allenby’s successor, Sir William Marshall, is forced to slowly retreat from the Middle East due to a lack of manpower.

• The retreat of the French Army leads to the positions of the BEF becoming indefensible. Most of the British forces are evacuated at Dieppe in June, leaving the French on their own. At this point the French Army, battered, war-weary and with little hope of victory is in open rebellion. With a second mass mutiny, a general uprising of the working classes imminent, the fall of Paris a certainty, and Marseilles in German hands, the French government capitulates on the 4th of October, ending the war in Europe. One month later, the Central Powers and the remaining Allied Powers sign a ceasefire in Copenhagen, Denmark.

• The Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT), led by anarcho-syndicalist Emile Pouget, declare a general strike in reaction to the bloody defeat of the French army during the German Great Offensive and its second mutiny. The strikers seek an immediate end to the war. After the fall of Paris, the government of Georges Clemenceau is replaced by a Provisional Government under Aristide Briand and enters into negotiations with the strikers.

The Terms of Peace (1919)

The fall of France, Russia, Italy and their allies in the Balkans reduces the Entente to the British Empire, Japan and Portugal. While none of these countries are under direct German threat, none are able to pose a threat to Germany. The battle between Germany and Britain continues for two more years by proxy in Ireland and elsewhere, while the otherwise victorious Central Powers divide up their conquests.

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• Serbia cedes Macedonia to Bulgaria and is forced to accept Austro-Hungarian oversight in most of her domestic and foreign affairs. Albania suffers a similar fate. Montenegro is annexed by Austria outright.

• Greece is forced to cede Greek Macedonia and Salonika to Bulgaria, and must accept a German lease on Crete for as long as the Kaiser deems necessary.

• Romania is forced to cede the entire Dobrudja to Bulgaria and the Carpathian mountain passes to Hungary. It is, however, granted the former Russian province of Bessarabia. Full religious minority rights are instituted in the country and the economic interests of the Central Powers are secured.

• Italy is split apart into a number of weak republics, duchies and principalities with Tuscany, the Papal States and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies returning to the map of Europe. The Republic of Venice is made a completely demilitarized buffer state for Austria-Hungary. However, the Italian Civil War means that only the Two Sicilies, Sardinia and a rump Papal State stay on the map of Europe for long.

• Libya becomes a client kingdom of the Ottoman Empire.

• Norway is given the Spitzbergen islands, despite protests from Representatives from Russia.

• France cedes Dahomey, Cote D'Ivoire, Madagascar, all of French Equatorial Africa south of Lake Chad, Pondicherry, Indochina, and her Pacific colonies, along with a swath of territory from Pas-de-Calais to Lorraine. However, the Syndicalist revolution prevents the occupation of anything outside Lorraine.

• Belgium is reorganized into the Kingdom of Flanders-Wallonia with the Kaiser's son Adalbert becoming the new king. The Belgian Congo is given to Germany and Wallonia east of the Meuse, the location of most Belgian industry, is occupied as long as the German government deems necessary. The Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg becomes a constituent state of the German Empire.

• The acquisitions of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk are organized into a series of German puppet states. Estonia and Latvia are fused into the United Baltic Duchy, with Adolf Friedrich von Mecklenburg becoming its first Grand Duke. The Kaiser's brother Heinrich becomes King Genrikh I of White Ruthenia (Belarus). Poland and Finland become independent states under German protection, with the Kaiser's brother-in-law Friedrich-Karl von Hessen becoming King of Finland. Lithuania becomes independent with Wilhelm von Urach, Duke of Urach, becoming King Mindaugas. The Austrian Archduke Wilhelm Franz ascends to the throne of Ukraine, aligning the country with Mitteleuropa.

1919 Continued: Aux armes, citoyens, Formez vos bataillons!

• The Southern White Russians begin their "Volga Campaign" with the capture of the city of Tsaritsyn. Led by General Pyotr Wrangel, the Whites swiftly seize Saratov, but are halted at Samara by Leon Trotsky. It takes until July for a Siberian White counter-offensive to force Trotsky to withdraw and surrender Samara, ultimately uniting the two largest White fronts.

• In the Baltics, the White Russian Northwestern Army under General Nikolai Yudenich launches its offensive towards Red Petrograd. The outnumbered Reds are quickly forced to withdraw to Petrograd itself, and the Whites (with White Ruthenian and Baltic support) place the city under siege.

• The Southern and Siberian Whites meet in the recaptured city of Ufa to negotiate a union of their governments. It is ultimately decided that Alexander Kolchak will remain supreme military commander of all White Russian forces, with Sergey Sazonov acting as prime minister. Most importantly, however, the Siberian Whites agree to follow the example of the Southern Whites, and cut ties with the Entente. Petrograd falls shortly afterwards to Yudenich's troops, and he presents the city as a gift upon also ratifying his support for the new, unified Provisional All-Russian Government.

• Huey Long is elected to the Louisiana Railroad Commission at the age of 25. He uses revolutionary campaigning techniques of mass media print propaganda and direct appeals to the working men, demonizing corporations and utility companies to earn populist respect from Louisiana voters.

• French Jacobin radicals, inspired by their Russian brethren and Leninist theories about a revolutionary vanguard start a series of attacks on government officials and public buildings, ending the chance of the striking CGT and Provisional Government of reaching any agreement. An attempt by the government to use demobilized soldiers to restore order ends in many soldiers joining the revolutionaries. France is engulfed in a short but bloody war, ending in a victory for the revolutionaries. Emile Pouget starts the difficult task of changing the French Republic into the Commune of France.

• The remains of the French establishment flee to Algiers and create a government-in-exile throughout the North Africa Colonies and Corsica. They are led by Marshal Ferdinand Foch.

• Two days after the announcement of the nation-ending 'peace', the Republic of Italy is proclaimed in Milan by incensed Italian Republicans. All treaties signed by the House of Savoy are to be considered null and void. Republican uprisings broke out across Italy, and by early October, Austrian garrisons have been pushed out of Central Italy.

• A left-right split begins in the Italian Republican front starting in October. By December, the rift has become irreparable, and right-wing "White" Republicans reached out to the Austrians for a possible compromise against the socialists. When the Whites plans were leaked, the Republican front utterly collapsed; on the Christmas Day of 1919, Italian socialists proclaimed the competing Socialist Republic of Italy in Torino.

• Hashemite Rebels, in disarray and without any foreign support, are crushed by a joint Saud-Ottoman campaign.

• Baron Ungern von Sternberg and his ‘Wild division’ take the Mongolian capital of Urga, with Sternberg declaring himself Mongolia's supreme ruler.

• Uruguay establishes its Council of National Administration, ending local political tensions for the time being.

1920: The Retreat Comes to an End

• Germany dispatches forces from its French Occupation in Toul to assist in the crushing of the Soviet Union. Adolf Hitler is killed during this intervention via a Soviet mustard gas attack. His diary is returned to his sister along with the rest of his personal effects and lays forgotten.

• Though Moscow has been under siege from a combined army of Whites since November of 1919, it takes until January 22nd, 1920 for the Bolsheviks to finally submit a formal surrender. Outnumbered, outgunned, and crippled by starvation and desertion, the Reds have little choice but throw themselves at the mercy of the Provisional Government. The Whites stand victorious at the formal conclusion of the civil war. Jack Reed leaves Russia and returns to the United States of America.

• The White Russians send a delegation of Alexander Kolchak, Sergei Sazonov, and Alexander Kerensky to ratify a modified version of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, despite furious protestations from nearly all elements of Russian society. With the nascent Russian Republic in almost as poor shape as the Bolsheviks had been in 1918, the Russians have little choice but to agree to German demands, lest they face "punitive action" by the Kaiser's armies.

• Due to his alling health, the US President, Woodrow Wilson, announces that he declines to run for a third term in the Presidental Elections later that year. The Election eventually takes place as the first US elections with full women's suffrage, as the 18th Amendment comes into effect on November 1st. The Democratic Party's candidate, Secretary of the Treasury William McAdoo is eventually declared the victor and becomes the 29th President of the United States with Alexander Palmer as his Vice-President.

• The Italian Civil War reaches it's de facto end as outnumbered Austrian and Republican forces defeat the Socialist attackers in the Po River Offensive. Wary of starting a full scale war with Austria and with most of its territory devastated by conflict, the SRI quits its offensives. Only 3 states of the former Italian Federation are still existing at this point.

• In Mexico, President Carranza attempts to have General Álvaro Obregón arrested before he can run for president of Mexico. A military coup immediately takes place with 70% of Mexican soldiers joining General Adolfo de la Huerta in deposing Carranza. Carranza refuses to recognize the military junta and flees Mexico City. He is assassinated on May 21st in the mountains north of Puebla.
  • Emiliano Zapata's revolutionaries capitalize on the military coup and launch a lightning advance across Mexico. Revolutionary General Pablo González captures the cities of Cuernavaca, Cuautla, Xochimilco and Toluca, reaching Mexico City itself before Obregón's forces. Generals Obregón and De la Huerta accept a proposed power sharing agreement from Zapata. Obregón accepts the position of President of Mexico while Zapata becomes Minister of Agriculture. Pancho Villa is offered the position of Ambassador to the Commune of France and he accepts. Together, the three initiate widespread Land Reform,

1921: The Butterfly Flaps its Wings

• Kaiser Karl reconvenes the Austro-Hungarian Imperial Council and announces his intent to move forward with the institution of national self-determination within the Empire. The Empire begins to peacefully dissolve into a federation of states lead by Imperial Austria and Hungary.

• The promising political career of Franklin D. Roosevelt is tragically cut short when he succumbs to polio.

The Peace with Honour (1921)

• As the ceasefire between Germany and Great Britain began to run out and with neither side willing to re-enter direct conflict, General Ludendorff proposes a "Peace with Honour" to the Entente. The remaining Entente members will acknowledge the peace treaties between Germany and the former Entente members and return Germany's colonies (including those transferred in the peace treaties) in exchange for a return to status-quo ante-bellum. The peace is signed at 11 AM on the 11th of November, 1921, ending the Weltkrieg after seven long years.

• In the East, Japan retains control of the Korean Peninsula and her other island territories. The government and the economy are crippled as the West descends into economic chaos and France is overtaken by revolution.

1922: Ireland Forever

• After the Easter Uprising in 1916 and five years of war, a peace treaty is concluded between the UK and Irish rebels that leads to the creation of a new Free Irish State on 1st January, 1922. With the Protestant north as an autonomous region and the King as a figurehead only nominally acknowledged, opposition to the treaty is minimal.

• Huey Long wins a lawsuit against the Cumberland Telephone & Telegraph Company for unfair rate increases, resulting in a cash refunds of $440,000 divided amongst 80,000 overcharged customers ($5.50 in 1922, roughly $85 in 2019 value). Long successfully argues the case on appeal before the U.S. Supreme Court, upholding the settlement against CT&T. Chief Justice William Howard Taft describes Long as one of the best legal minds he has ever encountered.

• England's colonial possessions in South Rhodesia merge with South Africa, their leadership nervous of potential German expansionism in the region.

• In Portugal, the Monarchy is restored after a coup led my Mitchell de Paiva Couceiro.

• Paraguay descends into Civil War after several decades of disastrous Liberal Party rule.

1923: A Return to Normalcy

• After being linked to a mass embezzlement of public funds, Ludendorff is removed from his post, ending military rule in Germany. Grand Admiral von Tirpitz is elected Chancellor of Germany, beginning the golden age of Weltpolitik.

• September 1st. A 7.9 Earthquake strikes the Kantō Plain outside Tokyo. A coalition of Anarchists and Syndicalists attempt a violent coup in the midst of the recovery and are repelled.

• The Victoria Police Strike in Australia leads to a Syndicalist uprising and the brief formation of a Melbourne Commune. George V implements the Emergency Protocols and a campaign against the commune begins.

• Adolfo de la Huerta succeeds Álvaro Obregón as President of Mexico. He continues the leftist reforms of his predecessors.

• December 27th. Japanese Anarchist Namba Daisuke attempts to assassinate Prince Regent Hirohito but fails. Faced with both an attempted coup and an assassination attempt on the Prince Regent, Prime Minister Yamamoto Gonnohyoe and his cabinet resign immediately. Army Minister General Tanaka Giichi is appointed Prime Minister to stabilize the country. Martial law is imposed over the home islands for the first time in Japanese history as the country is overtaken by a Red Scare. The former ruling party Rikken Seiyukai splits and causes a political crisis in the Diet. The supporters of Tanaka form the Seiyuhonto party.

1924: Peace, Land, and Bread

• In Russia, a coup is attempted by a loose coalition of businessmen, industrialists, center-right conservatives, and Siberian autonomists, all of whom are united chiefly by strong anti-German sentiment. Alexander Kolchak, despite having little involvement with the plot, is declared provisional dictator. Only a handful of units in Siberia side with the plot and all ultimately agree to stand-down rather than fight the army units sent to suppress them. Seeing the writing on the wall the plotters disperse. Kolchak accepts an Anglo-Japanese offer to be installed as an anti-German pretender in the "Russian Republic" of Transamur.

• Seeing the chaos engulfing Russia in the wake of the Kolchak Putsch and resentful of broken promises for autonomy, the Don, Kuban, and Terek Cossacks mutiny at the urging of General Pyotr Krasnov. Though support for the rebellion is far from universal among the Cossacks, the feeble state of the Russian army leads Kerensky to reluctantly agree to Krasnov's demands. The newly-created "Don-Kuban Union" that arises is independent from Russia in all but name.

• The Consolidation of Resources Act merges Australia and New Zealand into the Australasian Confederation with Stanley Bruce as Prime Minister. Elections are suspended and much of the new Dominion is put under martial law. George V uses demobilized Weltkrieg troops and paramilitary groups to finally crush the Melbourne Commune. Bruce oversees the creation of an Authoritarian Democracy in Australia and New Zealand.

• The Summer Olympics, the first to be held in over a decade, take place in Berlin.

• Gerardo Machado is elected President of Cuba. He immediately begins to erode constitutional checks on his power and strengthens ties between Cuba and the United States.

• November 6th. In the United States of America, President McAdoo is elected to a second term.

• Huey Long runs for Governor of the State of Louisiana but finishes in third place after refusing to take a stand for or against The Klan. Despite the loss, Long is easily re-elected to the Public Service Commission. He spends the next four years building his political brand and becoming a larger force in American politics.

1925: The Sun Sets on the British Empire

• A British general strike over coal tariffs escalates into an nationwide uprising when government troops massacre striking miners. After the army begins to stand down or defect and the Royal Navy begins to mutiny, the government and Monarchy flee to Canada. A coalition of leftists centered on the Trades Union Congress take control of England, Scotland and Wales under the charismatic John McLean, creating the Union of Britain.

• Michael Collins dissolves the Irish Free State and the autonomy of Ulster, proclaiming the Republic of Ireland with himself as President.

• The collapse of the British government leads to a massive land-grab for its overseas possessions.
  • Gibraltar finally falls into Spanish hands.
  • Argentina quickly seizes the Falkland Islands
  • Egypt gains sole authority over the Sudan.
  • Nejd invades the Trucial States.
  • Shammar ensures the fealty of Kuwait.
  • The Ottoman Empire regains control over Cyprus and Aden, the latter of which was placed under Yemeni jurisdiction.
  • Germany manages to secure most of the British African holdings as well as the strategic locations of Malta, the eastern bank of the Suez Canal, Berbera, Ceylon, the Strait Colonies, Brunei, and Sarawak.
  • Australasia retains control over the British parts of New Guinea and Fiji. The British Far East Fleet under command of Admiral David Murray Anderson suppresses mutinies within its ranks and departs for Australia and New Zealand with colonial staff and civilians from the China Station.
  • India, once the pearl in the British crown breaks down into three new states. The loyalist Dominion of India, colloquially Delhi, retains control of the northwest, while the Indian National Congress forms its own government, the Bhartiya Commune in the east. The Princes of the south form their own independent Princely Federation.
  • Burma becomes an independent kingdom once again.
  • The facade of a protectorate Britain claimed in Somalia collapses and Sultan Mohamoud formally proclaims Somali independence.
  • South Africa manages to secure the Bechuana Protectorate and is nominally loyalist. Tensions between the pro-Entente Smuts and pro-republic Hertzog grows.
  • The Royal Navy's Caribbean Squadron secures the British colonies in the region. These colonies join together with the former French colonies in the region and form the Caribbean Federation. Venezuela protests its claims to the United States yet again.
  • In Canada the Senate is replaced by a reconstituted House of Lords.

• In the Japanese General Elections, the military government of the Seiyuhonto becomes the ruling party. With the opposition in disarray the Tanaka regime enacts the Peace Preservation Law, enabling the state to impose the death penalty on those who attempt to harm the 'National Polity'. The law comes to symbolize the draconian rule of Prime Minister Tanaka.

• April 20th. The New York Stock Exchange suffers its greatest one day loss in history. The Roaring Twenties give way to what will be known as the Great Depression.

• July 12th. At a conference of the Industrial Workers of the World, Jack Reed proposes the formation of a unified political organization to coordinate the activities of American unions. The Combined Syndicates of America is formed. The AFL balks when there is open talk of revolution and leaves the conference, but the "One Big Union" is now a unified force in American politics.

• The Australasian Guard forms in Australia. The Paramilitary group seeks radical measures to combat economic hardships and openly advocates a position of Revanchism.

• A supposedly Serb-sponsored pan-Slavic revolt sweeps over the Southern parts of the Austrian sphere, endangering Austrian hegemony in the region. The Austrian Kaiser deals with this by playing the Croats against the Serbs, establishing a Croat-led Panslavic Kingdom under the name of Illyria. Hungary is not amused.

• October 4th. The American Socialist Party convenes for the upcoming elections and is swayed to Jack Reed's platform of direct action. Those opposed to direct action pledge not to hinder Jack's efforts in the upcoming elections.

1926: The East Stabilizes, the South Erupts

• In the divided Republic of China, the Kuomintang under the lead of General Chiang Kai-shek launches the Northern Expedition to reunite China from the warlords. Germany sees the KMT as a gateway to Syndicalism rising in the east, and makes plans to intervene in China.

• German forces intervene in the Northern Expedition, and quickly manage to defeat the National Revolutionary Army, throwing the KMT into chaos. Chiang is blamed for the failure of the Northern Expedition, and is assassinated by one of his political rivals. The left-wing branch of KMT flees abroad, while the right-wing branch of KMT (represented by the military officers) go into hiding in Southern China.

• In Japan, scandal erupts over the so-called 'earthquake bills' and malfeasance in the Bank of Taiwan, causing widespread bank closures and dealing another blow to Japanese stability. On the diplomatic front, Tanaka's indecisive policies fail to secure Japanese interests in China from either the advancing Nationalists nor from the German intervention. The weakness of his rule is publicly exposed. The ruling Coalition splits shortly before the Taisho Emperor dies.

• Brazil falls into Civil War after São Paulo state-president Washington Luis is assassinated, already under heightened tensions due to federal troops trespassing into said state.

• April. The two main opposition parties in Japan, the Rikken Seiyukai and the Kenseikai form a coalition and start the 'Second Movement to Protect the Constitution'. Facing popular support for the opposition and the Prince Regent's indirect intervention, Tanaka and his cabinet are forced to resign. In an event later called the 'Constitutional Restoration of 1926', the Rikken Seiyukai and the Kenseikai form the 'Constitutionalist Coalition' cabinet, with promises of democratic governance, universal suffrage, and a party-based cabinet.

• American corporations struggle in the grip by the Great Depression and finally relax their policy of shunning trade with Germany. Those in the Pacific Northwest open trade with Japanese zaibatsu instead. The Western states begin to show signs of economic growth in spite of the Depression.

• November. Congressional Midterm elections are held in the United States. The American Socialist Party gains 18 seats in Congress for a total of 23. Seymour Stedman of Illinois is sworn in as the first Socialist Senator.

1927

• Following the failure of the Northern Expedition thanks to German intervention, two major Northern Warlord cliques, the Zhili clique and the Fengtian clique, go to war over control of Beijing. Despite Fengtian's initial gains, Zhili manages to turn the tide and defeat Fengtian by making a deal with the German Empire. Germany provides key strategic support to Zhili, while Zhili in return promises to restore the deposed Qing Emperor, Aisin-Gioro Puyi, due to Germany's monarchist stance. The Qing Empire is thus restored in China.

• King Ferdinand of Romania dies and is succeeded by his grandson Michael, after his son Carol is forced to renounce his claim to the throne. As Michael is still a minor he is effectively a puppet of the military who now have complete control over the country and its oil fields. Germany, dependent on their Romanian allies for oil, watches and does not intervene.

• November 21st. The Columbine Mine Massacre takes place in Colorado. Through the exercise of their newfound political power and direct action techniques on behalf of the Combined Syndicates of America, charges are brought against the Rocky Mountain Fuel Company. Only one man is convicted for the massacre, but the Syndicates and Socialists view this as a victory as American Courts have never ruled on the side of strikers or unions in such attacks before.

1928: Viva la Revolucion!

• November 6th. Republican Herbert Hoover easily defeats Governor of New York Al Smith in the Presidential Race. Norman Thomas runs for the Socialist Party and wins several Midwestern states while Jack Reed is elected Senator of New York in an upset victory. Huey Long becomes Governor of Louisiana using the slogan "Every man a King, but no one wears a crown," a phrase he borrows from William Jennings Bryan. He labels public utilities and the wealthy as "parasites" while promising increased government intervention and relief programs for the average Louisianan.

• Brazil holds the first elections of its New Republic. João Pessoa's Republican Party wins a landslide victory.

• The Central American revolt spreads to El Salvador. Guatemala and El Salvador merge to form the state of Centroamerica.

• Juan The Catfish Gomez is ousted from power in Venezuela after losing military support.

• Jesús Guajardo is elected President of Mexico, succeeding Adolfo de la Huerta.

1929: The Kingfish Forges His Crown

• Bolivia launches an attack against Paraguayan held positions to secure rumored oil fields beneath the soil. The conflict becomes known as the Chaco War.

• Huey Long forces the Louisiana State Government to adopt new populist programs, fulfilling multiple campaign promises. Louisianans take advantage of a free textbook program for children, night classes to ensure adult literacy, and a supply of cheap natural gas for the citizens of New Orleans. This is followed up with a massive public works program. Opponents to these programs find themselves harassed, demonized, and in some cases physically intimidated by Long himself on the floor of the statehouse.

• Norman Thomas becomes Mayor of New York City, the first Socialist to hold the position.

1930: Do or Die for the Kingfish

• Reichskanzler Afred von Tirpitz dies on March 6th. His contemporaries eulogize him as the most successful and popular chancellor in German history behind only Otto von Bismarck himself. He is replaced by Franz von Papen.

• March. Huey Long founds his own newspaper, the Louisiana Progress, to amplify his voice in the media. Long spreads word of his achievements to his allies and denounces his enemies in public print across the state. Companies compete for advertising space in the paper to avert the wrath of the Kingfish and secure government contracts.

• Long-running Catholic radio preacher Father Charles Coughlin begins attacking socialism, syndicalism, and the greed of the capitalist classes for creating the conditions that allowed these ideologies to flourish. He draws millions of listeners of all denominations.

• Long suffers his first defeat when the Louisiana Senate votes down a bond fundraiser, preventing him from creating a new road construction project. With his enemies forming a unified front against his populist initiatives, Long announces his intentions to run for United States Senate as a Democrat in September when a vacancy opens up, promising to resign from politics if he loses the election. Long wins the Senate seat with 57% of the vote. Surprising his allies and enemies, he opts to remain as Governor of Louisiana and leaves the Senate Seat completely vacant.

1931: Syndicalism Comes to the Americas

• In a reaction to the growing threat of the Centroamerican State, Nicaragua and Costa Rica unite to form the United Provinces.

• Father Coughlin is dropped from CBS Radio after he refuses to let them review his scripts. He begins to raise money directly from his listeners to create his own radio network.

• The Creditanstalt, Austria's largest bank, almost collapses after a brief but intense banking scandal. A major CS politician is implied to be among the guilty parties, putting the Christlichsoziale influence over Austrian politics in danger.

• Chile falls to a Syndicalist revolution after suffering a government bankruptcy and several years of economic instability. The Navy and Army lend support to the Syndicalist movement. Arturo Puga becomes head of state. Chile begins to help the Patagonian rebels.

• October. Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Cyr demands that Huey Long resign the position of Governor and enter the Senate to take the seat he won in the 1930 election. In response, Long summons the Louisiana National Guard to garrison the governor's mansion and defend himself from the what he labels a coup. After suing in the Supreme Court to get Cyr removed on a technicality, he appoints his friend Oscar K. Allen as the new Lieutenant Governor and future puppet. His power base secured, Long finally takes his seat as Senator and rules the state from Washington D.C.

1932: The Kingfish Denied

• Herbert Hoover is re-elected by the House of Representatives after the Socialists win enough states to deny any party an electoral majority. Denied the Democratic nomination during the race, Huey Long forms his own America First Party.

• Radical spiritualist, political theorist and failed screenwriter William Dudley Pelley comes out in support of Huey Long and his "Share Our Wealth" program in the wake of his electoral defeat. Pelley urges his followers to join a new para-militant organization he is founding, the "Silver Legion".

• The Grand Dragon of the branch of the Ku Klux Klan in Indiana, David Curtiss Stephenson, is arrested and eventually convicted on charges of rape. During the trial, the Klan's image as upholders of law and morality is gravely weakened as it is proven that Stephenson and many of his associates were in private womanizers and alcoholics. In the wake of the trial, many of the disaffected Klan members instead joins up with William Dudley Pelley's newly founded Silver Legion.

• In South Africa, Barry Hertzog wins the national election and declares South Africa to be a republic, formally leaving the Entente.

• Australasia begins construction of two new heavy ships- a battleship and an aircraft carrier, signalling regional military ambitions for the authoritarian democracy. Experts assume the projects will be completed by 1936.

• Otávio Mangabeira is elected President of Brazil.

• Emiliano Zapata is elected President of Mexico, succeeding Jesús Guajardo. Pancho Villa is appointed Foreign Minister of Mexico in an attempt to close the rift between Villa's syndicalism and Zapata's, and the people see a return to normalcy after decades of revolution and struggle. Decades of land reform finally bears fruit, allowing the growing of cash crops rather than mere subsistence farming.

1933

• The Chaco War ends in crushing Paraguayan victory. With Bolivia in utter disarray its republic dissolves into a dictatorship. The victory on the battlefield is paired with economic disaster as Paraguay is left crippled by war debts.

• The natural disaster that will go down in history as the Dust Bowl strikes the lower midwest of the United States, creating chaos and destitution in its wake as severe dust storms robs hundred of thousands of American farmers of their livelihood, leading to the death knell of countless rural communities. The storms reach all the way to D.C., and New England's winter snow is tinted red. Millions migrate, many heading west to California, desperately looking for jobs. The industrial-worker and miner focused Socialists find themselves unable to offer any effective response to the problem, especially with the displaced rural populations now competing for work in the big cities.

1934

• After years of planning, the America First Party is officially founded by Senator Huey Long. In the United States, the AFP grows rapidly amongst southern and rural populations. Father Coughlin endorses Huey Long wholeheartedly and directs his followers to vote for its members. He coins the slogan "All For Long or All Is Lost". William Dudley Pelley follows suit with his "Sliver Legion" paramilitaries becoming a fixture of the party. Long keeps them at a distance, but does not disavow or condemn him.

• Quentin Roosevelt, groomed as the Roosevelt family's heir after the death of Franklin in 1921, narrowly defeats Norman Thomas to become Governor of New York.

1935

• The military government of Romania is violently ousted by one of the right-wing political groups they collaborated with, the fanatic nationalist Iron Guard. Their head, Corneliu Zelea Codreanu, is installed as the new Leader (Conducător), while the young king Michael flees the country. Germany watches as their primary oil source stabilizes into a brutal military dictatorship.

• Marmaduke Grove, a former military man, is elected the second chairman of the Chilean Syndicalist Republic.

• Argentina's government is seized by the LPA in the so-called Christmas Coup.

• Quentin Roosevelt, spurred on by a desire to follow in his father Theodore's footsteps as a popular politician, seeks the nomination of the Republican party for 1936. While he fails to achieve the presidential nomination, he does manage to become the Republican Vice Presidential candidate for 1936.

1936: A change is going to come...

• In Early January, Viktor Chernov, the de facto leader of the Russian opposition against President Boris Savinkov's government is assassinated, seriously destabilizing the struggling Russian Republic. The culprit is unknown, though many suspect Savinkov's involvement.

• George V, the last British King to have ruled from the home isles before their loss, dies in late January.

• In early February, the Communards of France holds a general election that will likely define their political direction for years to come.

• On Monday, the 3rd of February, the Berlin Stock Exchange, which has already been shaky for some time, suddenly plunges into free fall. This is a massive blow to the German economy, which has otherwise been seen as strong and steady, and the shockwave from the event, which goes down in history as Black Monday, causes widespread economic recession all over the world, with the German Reich's allies in the Reichspakt being hit especially hard. Most importantly, however, it undermines the world society's perception of the German Reich's superiority, and many world leaders begin to wonder if this is the beginning of the end of the German Hegemony in Europe.

• Hit hard by the economic aftershock of Black Monday, the Austrian Empire withdraws their military from the Italian Republic, as they can no longer afford the expenses of keeping up the local garrisons. This move leaves the republic politically independent once more.

• The TUC in Britain elects Philip Snowden's successor after winning a majority of the votes.

• In March, the Pope Pius XI dies of a heart attack. The College of the Candinals convene to elect a successor.

• The Great Heat Wave of 1936 lays heavy over the Northwest USA throughout the summer, becoming known as the Red Summer, it is easily the deadliest natural disaster in America of the 20th century.

• In November the 32nd US President is elected with many calling his government illegitimate.