Tani Coyote
Son of Huehuecoyotl
- Joined
- May 28, 2007
- Messages
- 15,191
Slight modifications to the core AoI files:
-Ethiopia replaced with Mahdists, who rule southern Sudan as well as Ethiopia for a total of four cities. They also start with a good stack of units so can harass local colonial powers for some time.
-All colonial powers can build Australian and Kiwi units if they own the relevant land.
-Coal and Iron added to the Philippines and Cuba. As a perk this will make taking on Spain slightly more challenging.
==Prologue==
-Ethiopia replaced with Mahdists, who rule southern Sudan as well as Ethiopia for a total of four cities. They also start with a good stack of units so can harass local colonial powers for some time.
-All colonial powers can build Australian and Kiwi units if they own the relevant land.
-Coal and Iron added to the Philippines and Cuba. As a perk this will make taking on Spain slightly more challenging.
==Prologue==
Spoiler :
--The Russo-American War--
Prior to the 20th century, America’s involvement in global affairs had been rather uneventful. That had changed in the year 1898, when there were naval skirmishes with Russia over a disagreement involving Moscow demanding tribute from the United States (America having given such to France and Britain in the past as a “gift of friendship”. What was to follow would change the course of American history forever.
America had lost three of its vessels to Russia’s two after a disastrous confrontation between American Cruisers and Russian Battleships just after the 4th of July. The defeat was humiliating, but America had one more trick up its sleeve; all forces were recalled to the coasts and all shipyards were subsidized to not only employ larger labor pools, but have them work around the clock. The goal? Mass production of a powerful Pacific fleet that would shred the Russians as soon as they got too close. The question was… would Russia fall for it?
Amazingly, the plan worked. Russia deployed four battleships and four cruisers outside Seattle, thinking the American fleet vulnerable. While America did indeed only have five naval vessels on the West Coast, the United States also had one other key factor: a large amount of land-based artillery pieces. With the Russian navy now within range, the sheer numbers of American artillery made up for their poor quality by causing extensive damage to the Imperial Russian Navy, and America sank four Russian vessels in the August Offensive. Though Russia was not entirely defeated, the strategy did cause public approval for Navy Secretary Theodore Roosevelt to skyrocket.
Though it was technically Roosevelt’s oversight, President McKinley ended up taking the fall when Russian soldiers landed near San Diego weeks later. As it turned out, the Seattle blockade was in itself a trap by the Russians to distract America’s naval forces from an amphibious invasion. While a lone American battleship had intercepted some of the vessels, Russian numbers were too large to prevent a landing completely.
Negative publicity abated days later, though, when America slaughtered half the Russian army and captured the remainder in the Battle of Oceanside. The tiny town, settled little over a decade prior to the Russo-American War, became important in American military history, and before long, had become a major American military installation so as to prevent another assault on the southwestern United States.
With the Russian incursion easily eliminated, America sought vengeance for Russia’s intended conquest. 2 Russian Cruisers were sunk off the coast of California, while all naval vessels near Washington State gave chase to the fleeing Russian Navy, resulting in the sinking of another Russian Cruiser and Battleship. The tide had been turned thanks to Roosevelt’s quick thinking, and there was already talk of his ascending to the Vice Presidency in the 1900 election.
October, the Russians sank one Battleship in a hit and run assault, but in turn exposed themselves to an American counterattack, with two Russian cruisers and one Transport sent to the bottom. Russia’s ships were more lightly armored than their American counterparts, and so while the United States had firepower, it could not catch most of the fleeing Imperial Navy. However, Americans breathed a sigh of relief – the Russians were in retreat, when it had originally looked like America might get overwhelmed. The Russian Navy was continuing to shell Midway and causing considerable damage to the infrastructure there, but it was a small loss compared to Russian superiority off the West Coast.
Destroying another Russian Battleship in December, President McKinley promised to have the war ended by Christmas, and brokered a deal with Russia to pay a small monthly indemnity for one and a half years; if Russia decided to break the peace accord, they would thus lose any remaining payments. Ever a savvy politician, however, McKinley had kept the small tribute off the books, making it look like the countries had signed a white peace. The American public was somewhat disgruntled that America had walked away without any indemnities of its own, but they were bolstered with pride at the fact that the American fleet had been enlarged a fair degree by the war, and that many more Russians had perished than Americans. The subsidies to the Western shipyards would continue for at least another year as America sought to protect its West Coast and Pacific colonies from ever again being under threat.
--Overseas Incidents and the German-American War--
America had emerged from its war with another major power relatively unscathed, and had shown that even if it could not claim absolute victory, it was far from being a pushover. For countries overseas, that was not so much the case, as the French and Benelux Pact went to war in 1896, and within seven months, the French had extracted a treaty that gave them legal jurisdiction over all traffic entering the Atlantic from the Congo River, as well as de facto control of the region surrounding Leopoldville. In effect, the French neutered the Belgian Empire, denying them a means to reliably ship their valuable rubber reserves back to Antwerp.
In May 1898, the German Empire, led by an ambitious Kaiser, declared war upon the British Empire, dragging their Austro-Hungarian allies into the affair. The naval rivalry between the two states had erupted into outright war, though the powers were evenly matched enough that others did not take interest.
Germany’s avarice knew no bounds, however, as even while fighting the British Empire (and having lost Togoland and the German Pacific in the process), they still demanded American tribute. The military having been enlarged since the Russo-American War, President McKinley refused to even consider the offer, and was met with war. Subsidies to the eastern shipyards increased as America sought to rapidly build up a fleet to counter any unlikely German advances.
In reality, Germany had been set up by the President. Personal letters with Secretary Roosevelt indicated that “Providence has given us the deniability we have long sought.” McKinley, in reality, was planning to one day establish American supremacy in the Caribbean through the expulsion of the Spanish from Cuba and Puerto Rico, followed by the establishment of puppet regimes in Hispaniola. Knowing the hotblooded Kaiser would almost certainly react with war, McKinley had called the bluff… and was given the excuse he had long needed to build up a fleet for Caribbean operations, all without drawing attention from Spain.
When it became apparent that Secretary Roosevelt’s fiery rhetoric might reflect badly on the War Department and by proxy his Presidency, however, McKinley was presented with another opportunity: Vice President Hobart died of natural causes on November 21st. McKinley quickly maneuvered to have Roosevelt appointed as his Vice President in the Spring of 1900, allowing the two to continue their close relationship but removing Roosevelt from effective power.
On January 1, 1900, the Wartime Emergency Act of 1899 came into effect, granting the federal government extra powers over the economy “pursuant to strategic objectives.” Despite this supposed limitation, McKinley began to make active use of the Act to temporarily take control of production centers across the nation as well as impose rations and require longer hours. It was here that Roosevelt’s energetic personality became more useful than ever, as he stressed the need for Americans to sacrifice to preserve the nation’s economic and military integrity against an aggressive world; if America did not show strength in the face of foes like Russia and Germany, only more foes would begin to make themselves known.
Russia and Germany did not know it at the time, but they had created a monster: Americans of all stripes had increasingly begun to embrace a siege mentality of the world seeking to weaken or outright destroy the United States. With the government and media drumming up an American responsibility to provide security and prosperity to countless neighbors, a fierce sentiment that combined patriotism, a sense of duty, and constant distrust of the wider world emerged. The American mentality increasingly became this: the world could not be trusted to govern itself in a manner beneficial to the United States and the world’s population, so it would fall to America to do it for them. The “White Man’s Burden” that was popular among Western populaces was replaced with the “American’s Burden.”
The German Alliance’s peace accord with Britain in early January helped convince the American public of a looming German menace, and many Americans proudly took their rations and longer hours for the glory of the nation. This was despite the fact Germany was at war with Russia only a month later.
McKinley would not live to see his focus on the Caribbean realized, however. He was wounded by an assassination attempt during the Summer of 1900 while on the campaign trail. While at first he seemed to recover from an operation to remove the assassin’s bullet, his health soon rapidly deteriorated and Vice President Roosevelt was sworn in as President mere months after having assumed the Vice Presidency.
While already having to run for re-election, the energetic Theodore Roosevelt, the youngest man to ever serve in the position, was not deterred by the challenge.
“We are entering a new century, my countrymen, and I shall make sure it is an American century.”
Prior to the 20th century, America’s involvement in global affairs had been rather uneventful. That had changed in the year 1898, when there were naval skirmishes with Russia over a disagreement involving Moscow demanding tribute from the United States (America having given such to France and Britain in the past as a “gift of friendship”. What was to follow would change the course of American history forever.
America had lost three of its vessels to Russia’s two after a disastrous confrontation between American Cruisers and Russian Battleships just after the 4th of July. The defeat was humiliating, but America had one more trick up its sleeve; all forces were recalled to the coasts and all shipyards were subsidized to not only employ larger labor pools, but have them work around the clock. The goal? Mass production of a powerful Pacific fleet that would shred the Russians as soon as they got too close. The question was… would Russia fall for it?
Amazingly, the plan worked. Russia deployed four battleships and four cruisers outside Seattle, thinking the American fleet vulnerable. While America did indeed only have five naval vessels on the West Coast, the United States also had one other key factor: a large amount of land-based artillery pieces. With the Russian navy now within range, the sheer numbers of American artillery made up for their poor quality by causing extensive damage to the Imperial Russian Navy, and America sank four Russian vessels in the August Offensive. Though Russia was not entirely defeated, the strategy did cause public approval for Navy Secretary Theodore Roosevelt to skyrocket.
Though it was technically Roosevelt’s oversight, President McKinley ended up taking the fall when Russian soldiers landed near San Diego weeks later. As it turned out, the Seattle blockade was in itself a trap by the Russians to distract America’s naval forces from an amphibious invasion. While a lone American battleship had intercepted some of the vessels, Russian numbers were too large to prevent a landing completely.
Negative publicity abated days later, though, when America slaughtered half the Russian army and captured the remainder in the Battle of Oceanside. The tiny town, settled little over a decade prior to the Russo-American War, became important in American military history, and before long, had become a major American military installation so as to prevent another assault on the southwestern United States.
With the Russian incursion easily eliminated, America sought vengeance for Russia’s intended conquest. 2 Russian Cruisers were sunk off the coast of California, while all naval vessels near Washington State gave chase to the fleeing Russian Navy, resulting in the sinking of another Russian Cruiser and Battleship. The tide had been turned thanks to Roosevelt’s quick thinking, and there was already talk of his ascending to the Vice Presidency in the 1900 election.
October, the Russians sank one Battleship in a hit and run assault, but in turn exposed themselves to an American counterattack, with two Russian cruisers and one Transport sent to the bottom. Russia’s ships were more lightly armored than their American counterparts, and so while the United States had firepower, it could not catch most of the fleeing Imperial Navy. However, Americans breathed a sigh of relief – the Russians were in retreat, when it had originally looked like America might get overwhelmed. The Russian Navy was continuing to shell Midway and causing considerable damage to the infrastructure there, but it was a small loss compared to Russian superiority off the West Coast.
Destroying another Russian Battleship in December, President McKinley promised to have the war ended by Christmas, and brokered a deal with Russia to pay a small monthly indemnity for one and a half years; if Russia decided to break the peace accord, they would thus lose any remaining payments. Ever a savvy politician, however, McKinley had kept the small tribute off the books, making it look like the countries had signed a white peace. The American public was somewhat disgruntled that America had walked away without any indemnities of its own, but they were bolstered with pride at the fact that the American fleet had been enlarged a fair degree by the war, and that many more Russians had perished than Americans. The subsidies to the Western shipyards would continue for at least another year as America sought to protect its West Coast and Pacific colonies from ever again being under threat.
--Overseas Incidents and the German-American War--
America had emerged from its war with another major power relatively unscathed, and had shown that even if it could not claim absolute victory, it was far from being a pushover. For countries overseas, that was not so much the case, as the French and Benelux Pact went to war in 1896, and within seven months, the French had extracted a treaty that gave them legal jurisdiction over all traffic entering the Atlantic from the Congo River, as well as de facto control of the region surrounding Leopoldville. In effect, the French neutered the Belgian Empire, denying them a means to reliably ship their valuable rubber reserves back to Antwerp.
In May 1898, the German Empire, led by an ambitious Kaiser, declared war upon the British Empire, dragging their Austro-Hungarian allies into the affair. The naval rivalry between the two states had erupted into outright war, though the powers were evenly matched enough that others did not take interest.
Germany’s avarice knew no bounds, however, as even while fighting the British Empire (and having lost Togoland and the German Pacific in the process), they still demanded American tribute. The military having been enlarged since the Russo-American War, President McKinley refused to even consider the offer, and was met with war. Subsidies to the eastern shipyards increased as America sought to rapidly build up a fleet to counter any unlikely German advances.
In reality, Germany had been set up by the President. Personal letters with Secretary Roosevelt indicated that “Providence has given us the deniability we have long sought.” McKinley, in reality, was planning to one day establish American supremacy in the Caribbean through the expulsion of the Spanish from Cuba and Puerto Rico, followed by the establishment of puppet regimes in Hispaniola. Knowing the hotblooded Kaiser would almost certainly react with war, McKinley had called the bluff… and was given the excuse he had long needed to build up a fleet for Caribbean operations, all without drawing attention from Spain.
When it became apparent that Secretary Roosevelt’s fiery rhetoric might reflect badly on the War Department and by proxy his Presidency, however, McKinley was presented with another opportunity: Vice President Hobart died of natural causes on November 21st. McKinley quickly maneuvered to have Roosevelt appointed as his Vice President in the Spring of 1900, allowing the two to continue their close relationship but removing Roosevelt from effective power.
On January 1, 1900, the Wartime Emergency Act of 1899 came into effect, granting the federal government extra powers over the economy “pursuant to strategic objectives.” Despite this supposed limitation, McKinley began to make active use of the Act to temporarily take control of production centers across the nation as well as impose rations and require longer hours. It was here that Roosevelt’s energetic personality became more useful than ever, as he stressed the need for Americans to sacrifice to preserve the nation’s economic and military integrity against an aggressive world; if America did not show strength in the face of foes like Russia and Germany, only more foes would begin to make themselves known.
Russia and Germany did not know it at the time, but they had created a monster: Americans of all stripes had increasingly begun to embrace a siege mentality of the world seeking to weaken or outright destroy the United States. With the government and media drumming up an American responsibility to provide security and prosperity to countless neighbors, a fierce sentiment that combined patriotism, a sense of duty, and constant distrust of the wider world emerged. The American mentality increasingly became this: the world could not be trusted to govern itself in a manner beneficial to the United States and the world’s population, so it would fall to America to do it for them. The “White Man’s Burden” that was popular among Western populaces was replaced with the “American’s Burden.”
The German Alliance’s peace accord with Britain in early January helped convince the American public of a looming German menace, and many Americans proudly took their rations and longer hours for the glory of the nation. This was despite the fact Germany was at war with Russia only a month later.
McKinley would not live to see his focus on the Caribbean realized, however. He was wounded by an assassination attempt during the Summer of 1900 while on the campaign trail. While at first he seemed to recover from an operation to remove the assassin’s bullet, his health soon rapidly deteriorated and Vice President Roosevelt was sworn in as President mere months after having assumed the Vice Presidency.
While already having to run for re-election, the energetic Theodore Roosevelt, the youngest man to ever serve in the position, was not deterred by the challenge.
“We are entering a new century, my countrymen, and I shall make sure it is an American century.”