Rememberences of Map Contests Past

[B_Munro]

KaiserEmu:

My first post on the site and it’s a MotF entry!

Talk about throwing yourself in the deep end…

Anyway, here's my awful map:

The Straits Republic, officially the Free and Independent Republic of the Straits and Marmara and its Territories, was established by the 1926 Treaty of Toulouse as an independent and neutral buffer state to resolve the competing claims over the Ottoman Straits. The new state was a republic, an uncommon form of government in Europe, in order to maintain its neutrality. The Kingdom of Greece, the Russian Empire, the Ottoman Empire and Turkish nationalists all wished for control of the strategic Straits region, and each had controlled all or part of the region during the Fourth Balkan War. Eventually, the Republic was established as a compromise state. The Straits Republic was fully democratic, also uncommon in early 20th century Europe, with its constitution establishing the state as a secular and strictly neutral country. Ethnically diverse, the Republic was shared by Orthodox Christian Greeks, Russians and Muslim Turks, as well as smaller groups of Arabs, Bulgarians and Europeans. This caused the Republic to be incredibly unstable, as ethnic nationalists of all three groups felt the land of the Republic fell within their rightful territory. The success of the Turkish War for Independence and the establishment of the Turkish Republic in 1932 further fuelled Turkish nationalism. Meanwhile, the significant Greek population of much of the Republic agitated for its inclusion into the Kingdom of Greece. Politics in the republic became increasingly polarised (Source 3.7.2 shows this polarisation in a cartoon from the period). Moderates in the Straits Republic became a minority, and in 1943, the nationalist Turkish Nationalist Party (TUP) gained control of the General Assembly. The TUP promptly initiated many pro-Turkish reforms, crippling the fledgling democracy by arrested prominent Greek nationalists and breaking up protests by force. On 27 April 1944, a referendum was held in the Republic on whether they should join the Turkish Republic. After the prohibition of any opposition campaigning, and the arrest of pro-neutrality leaders, the vote passed by a narrow margin, and the TUP announced that they would submit to the authority of the Turkish Republic. Thus began the Straits Crisis.

1. What was the reasoning behind the creation of the Straits Republic?

2. List two ways the Republic was unique in Europe for its time.

3. Why was the Republic so unstable?

4. Which nationalist party implemented pro-Turkish policies?

5. What event led to the beginning of the Straits Crisis?

6. Using the map at the top of page 67, explain why the Straits Republic was so vulnerable.

 

[B_Munro]

procrastinating2much was first, Gud was second, KaiserEmu was third.

 

[B_Munro]

MotF 183: The Lotus Eaters

The Challenge
Make a map of a place whose inhabitants think of it as a utopia.

 

[B_Munro]

TapReflex:

From the seas of the Atlantic where the free folk leapt to drown
To the bones of our forebearers lying rotting in the ground
We the People have discovered, with open eyes we've found
Hanonah is our home

Hanonah is our homeland,
Hanonah is our homeland,
Hanonah is our homeland,
A place where freedom reigns

The People of Good Babel sent to skies up from the ground
Unified in understanding, a feat most awesome and profound
The Dreadful was enraged, he brought our mighty tower down
But Hanonany are strong

Hanonany are the strongest,
Hanonany are the strongest,
Hanonany are the strongest,
On this Earth we firmly stay

The Worker sees on Earth the worldly products of 'er toil,
Not a single thing is kept if they're to shed their mortal coil
Not a thing shall ever live, Not a thing shall ever die,
In our Hanowah soil

Blessed, Blessed be Hanohah,
Blessed, Blessed be Hanonah,
Blessed, Blessed be Hanonah,
where all the Gods will die

- James George Frazer, the Satanic Hymn of Hanonah 04 AE (1933 Gregorian, 1966 Revised Abrahamic Calendar, 1351 AH)

 

[B_Munro]

Reagent:

Ordensstaat Gotenland

Ordensstaat Gotenland is the manifestation of the Schutzstaffel's (SS) desire to acquire territory to govern for itself. Himmler, the first head of the Schutzstaffel, originally had designs of having much of eastern France (Historic Burgundy) to be put under the SS control as the "Order State of Burgundy", but this plan was largely ignored by Hitler during the Second World War, and then outright rejected after Germany had secured hegemony over Continental Europe. While initially, a close ally of Hitler, the ambitious Himmler was increasingly viewed as a threat by an increasingly paranoid and demented Hitler. So much so, in fact, that Himmler would be eventually executed on December 8th, 1948, in one of Hitler's last purges (Hitler himself would die of cardiac failure just a few weeks later).

However, the idea of a Schutzstaffel-led "order state" would not die with Himmler, as many within the organization still desired territory to govern themselves. The Schutzstaffel would get their opportunity to put their vision into reality, shortly after Hitler's death. Hitler's death left a power vaccum, and the Schutzstaffel was largely involved of the armed struggle that led to a junta of Heer generals assuming control of Germany in early 1949. The new junta offered Crimea (still under military occupation) to the Schutzstaffel. Multiple motivations have been put forward for this offer (from wanting to marginalize the influence of the SS in Berlin by having their energies focused in Berlin, to simply wanting a place to dump the people who even many Nazis considered to be extreme away from Germany proper) - but what remains important is that the SS assume control of the Peninsula on January 1st, 1950 - and began to create their new state.

The Schutzstaffel quickly went to work deporting the remaining non-German population of Crimea that had managed to survive the devastation of the Second World War. In their place were brought volksdeutche from South Tyrol (who were said to be descendants of the Goths), and the surviving Volga and Crimean Germans (who had been deported to central Asia by Soviet Authorities in 1941). These settlers were significantly augmented by Schutzstaffel retirees, the families of those still in active duty within the paramilitary organization, and some of the most extreme Nazi ideologues. Within a decade, Crimea was thoroughly Germanized - and ready to be turned into a model society along the precepts of the perverted Nazi ideology. When the Greater Germanic Reich collapsed at the end of the cold war, the SS managed to seize control of the few German Nuclear weapons stationed in Crimea - assuring their state's protection from foreign invasion, in spite of its complete Pariah status in the eyes of the rest of the world.

The SS has continued to rule Crimea to this day - defying international expectations of state collapse. While the people of Ordensstaat Gotenland are viewed by the rest of the world as an impoverished and racist backwater - the residents of the Ordensstaat believe they are living in paradise. Perhaps it is due in part to the self-selection of German colonists who chose to make Crimea their home. Perhaps the Schutzstaffel's propaganda apparatus has been extremely effective. Perhaps all dissidents have been liquidated by this point. Or perhaps something far more sinister is at work in Gotenland...

 

[B_Munro]

Only two that time, with Reagent winning.

 

[B_Munro]

MotF 184: In Varietate Concordia

The Challenge

Make a map showing a supranational union.

 

[B_Munro]

Iserlohn:

The New American Community, also known as the CNA (Communidad Nueva Americana), is a supranational union founded in 1949 by the governments of Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru with its headquarters in Quito. At first the CNA was merely a trade and defense agreement which came about the end of the Second World War and the continued survival of the fascist regimes in Chile, Bolivia, and Cuba which had come into power in the 1930s. The nation of Venezuela, which had already been interested during the initial negotiation stages but saw itself unable to join due to a civil war between the liberal government and a right-wing military junta, joined the CNA in 1951.

The CNA further expanded in 1956, when Costa Rica joined, 1971, when Guyana and the Dominican Republic joined, and 1977, when the recently democratized Panama joined.

In 1969 the CNA created its supranational parliament and formalized its values of democracy, republicanism, free trade, and opposition to authoritarianism and colonialism. Even before the CNA adopted these ideals its member states had helped each other dealing with insurgents from both the far-left and the right, a practice which they have since then continued. The most notable example in recent memory was the joint campaign against the Maoist Shining Path in Peru in 1977 and the defeat of an insurgent pro-fascist military group led by the Venezuelan navy commander Wolfgang Larrazábal in 1961.

After the 1970s the CNA, which generally sided with the United States in the Cold War, admitted Trinidad & Tobago (1984), Nicaragua (1984), and the Jamaican Republic (1992), before it faced its biggest challenge: the integration of former right-wing states. In 1993 both the fascist governments of Cuba and Chile fell to democratic uprisings, and the late 1980s saw a the military dictatorships of Brazil and Argentina mellow into flawed democracies. In 1999 even the regime in Bolivia fell, largely thanks to the efforts of its indigenous population protesting the Spanish political elite. Chile and Cuba would join the CNA in 2014, and Bolivia together with Honduras are both applicants.

Today the CNA stands as a beacon of economic prosperity and democratic values in a continent scarred by primarily right-wing violence. Many political experts are drawing parallels between the European Union and the CNA, and both organisations even have good relations.

 

[B_Munro]

Olivea:

the EVOLUTION of the ALBANY PLAN OF UNION into the ALBANY PACT:
In the immediate aftermath of the French-&-Indian War, the British Gov't decided to enact the Plan of Union (as Proposed by Sir Benjamin Franklin, within the Fair City of Albany), creating the Union of the Thirteen States (which over-time evolved into Those Eighteen States that the Nation is named afterwards in the Modern Day). It was Created in the Year of Our Lord, 1764. Soon, however, the Iroquoian League wished to further protection by Britannia's Crown, and so she too joined the Albany Union - however, the Indian state still wished to retain Her Sovereignty, and so the Union became something More Akin to a Pact, and that Pact did indeed prosper, with the Indian Western Confederacy joining in 1770. Following this point, very Few nations joined until the Dawn of the 19th Century: First, of course, Joined the Union of Canada into the Albany Pact (in the Year 1801), and then the Anglo Intervention into the Spanish-American Wars of Liberation began in the early beginnings of the 2nd Decade of the Nineteenth Century (1810s). Tho many Claimed (and many do still Claim) that Britannia's Interference in these Rebellions were to protect the Rights of those Hispanic Peoples, it is altogether Dishonest to say this, for She (Great-Brittania) joined these Wars, in truth, to both Protect others, and Secure land for the Crown. And, following the Resolution of that War, it is true that those Interests were Secure (Britannia Secured Patagonia, Oregon, and Nootka, as well as some Other Regions, like the Antilles): and it was this Antillean Federation that joined the Pact soon After her Inception. She was also Joined by the Vast Country of Louisiana, another prize to the British Crown Won during the War. In the Fourth Decade (1830s), it was Texas who Proclaimed Independence from Mexico, and her who won this some Years following: British Investors took No Time in beginning to Invest in Texian Land and Texian Investments, and soon Texas became a Close Ally of the Crown, and so She Soon joined this Most Powerful Union. Following This, Oregon elevated Herself from a Royal Colony into a Dominion to the Crown, and took the oppurtunity to join the Pact. Of Course, this leads into the Newest "Member" of this Pact Between the North-American States: New Albion. In all Manners of Technicality, New Albion is Not a part of the Pact, but she Is, in manners of Practicality: New Albion is a Colony of the Crown, and while the Crown is not A Part of the Pact, the Colonial Gov't of New Albion has decided, in the Last Decade of the New Millenium (1990s), to Join the Pact. Following This event, the Political Moods of the Pact have swayed considerably, with most-Equal Parts debating Between leaving the British Crown Behind Them, or Continuing with the Status Quo. There has been, as many Attest, calls for Separation between the Crown and the Pact, and the Pact to Centralize into One State, comprised of Many. And it is This Decision, one that America must make in Her own Beliefs, for Her own Benefits, and for Her Future, that will Shape History Accordingly.

 

[B_Munro]

KaiserEmu:

Map!
Not great, but I'm improving.

The Atlantic Union is a political, economic, military and customs union of four sovereign nations. The AU has developed an internal market, with the free movement of people and goods, as well as strong military cooperation and the removal of passport checks between member states.

Ideas of American unification have existed since the War of Independence, when a confederation called the United States of America was briefly established. However, conflicts between the states and the extreme weakness of the confederal government resulted in the demise of the USA, however ideas of unification persisted.

The Illinois War began in 1796 after Virginia attempted to enforce their long-standing claim on the Illinois Country (OTL North-West Territories). Fearing that the largest state would grow so powerful it would overwhelm all others, the Mid-Atlantic and North-Eastern states declared war instead in order to protect the territory’s nominal independence and to maintain the balance of power. Surprisingly, the British entered the war also, supporting local American Indian tribes in their attempts at establishing a barrier state between them. Unsurprisingly, the British-backed Indians held their own, and resulted in the retreat of the two warring American forces.

Despite their defeat in the Illinois War and the subsequent establishment of the Michigan Confederacy, Virginia came out of the war relatively unscathed, and prompted the other states to realise that in order to maintain their relevance, without territory to expand into, they must group together. The many small north-eastern states unified in 1807 to form the Confederation of New England, while the larger nations in the Mid-Atlantic region ratified the Philadelphia Pact, a defensive alliance established in 1809, and the direct predecessor to today’s Atlantic Union.

After the Napoleonic Wars resulted in the defeat of the French Empire and the partition of Louisiana, North America entered a period of relative stability. While the defensive Philadelphia Pact remained in place to defend against the two “southern superpowers” (Virginia and Carolina) as well as the British Empire, greater civilian connections grew, especially in economic partnership. A notable event of this time was Delaware’s 1854 unification with Maryland, showing the closeness of the relationship.

As political and social ties grew ever closer, the idea of a closer union became more seriously discussed. Some advocated for a stronger alliance, others confederation, others a unitary government. In the end, the 1950 Pittsburgh Convention resulted in a compromise: the Atlantic Union.

The AU is administered by the Atlantic Congress, directly elected by the people based on population, and the Atlantic Commission, with equal representation for each country, with delegates nominated by each nation’s government. The Commission nominates a Chairman to serve as the executive of the Union. Traditionally, the figurehead role rotates between the four nations annually. Most legislation must be approved by both the Congress and the Commission.

The flag of the AU is flown at equal standing with each nation’s flag. The hoist is blue, representing unity, and is defaced with four stars to represent the member states. The fly shows four horizontal stripes of red and white, symbolising the struggle for independence and the peaceful nature of Atlanticans respectively.

Today, the AU is a significant regional power, home to one of the largest cities in the world, New York City. It is both one of the most prosperous and peaceful regions worldwide, and is a member of the Council of Eight, representing the largest economies in the world.

***

Basically, the Articles of Confederation are never replaced, with the states unable to agree on a replacement. The central government slowly disintegrates as infighting between the states takes over. Most states choose to unify with their neighbours in order to maintain power in the New World, but the Mid-Atlantic states instead adopt a loose alliance, most similar to the original Articles. In 1951, an EU-style organisation is formed, with the addition of a NATO-esque military element.

 

[B_Munro]

Thanosaekk:

Excerpt from "State of the World: A summary of the New World Order", Victor Crawford, 1978

While the public saw the first hours of the Syrian coup attempt as the beginning of the end for the short-lived United Arab Republic, they were soon surprised to hear that the Syrian Army managed to enter negotiations with the rebels, promising larger autonomy and significant reforms by Nasser. The leader of the nation was reluctant to implement these policies, but quickly understood that it was the only way the union could be kept together and proceeded to implement the United Arab Republic Reform in January of 1962. With this reform, Syria and Egypt would become independent nations but with close ties between them militarily, politically and economically. Over the next 16 years, this union has only been expanding, often intervening with the joint military force of the members in multiple cases. Currently, it is composed of 19 members, with 6 more looking to join, and possesses an unknown amount of nuclear weapons. But, with the UAR facing economic problems, the Soviet Union withdrawing its support to the alliance, and the United States wanting to come back from its short period of isolationism and pacifism after several failures, who knows what the future holds?

 

[B_Munro]

Iserlohn was first, Oliveia second, Thanosaekk third.

 

[B_Munro]

MotF 185: The Bonnie Red Flag

The Challenge

Make a map depicting the outcome of a communist or socialist revolution in the Confederate States of America.

 

[B_Munro]

Dr. Kafka:

 

[B_Munro]

TapReflex:

The Birth of People's Republic of the New Dawn in Florida (often shortened to PRF) is due in large part to the excesses of the previous post-Confederacy regime. The Collapse of the Confederacy in 1881, just twenty years after it's formation would lead to the independent Second Republic of Florida (1886-1904). The Floridian regime was quick to receive attention in Europe, both as a popular tourist destination and for its abundant fruit and cattle. The influx of capital to build structures to efficiently get resources out of Florida would see a Golden Age arise, when it seemed the 'Empty State' was filling with treasure and jewels. Expanding plantations quickly found the newly emancipated slaves were too few for the increasing demand for fruit from Europe, and with German credit, Florida would import 1.7 million Chinese laborers to shore up the labor reserve. These laborers also toiled away on the Jacksonville-Gulf Canal, and built a myriad of railroads across the state. Though the majority would leave after their contracts were up, around 200,000 stayed, often forming a bridge between the black and white populations. The fruit-picking was seasonal work, and often laborers would be share-croppers for the rest of the season, seeing themselves indebted to the plantation owners. The gulf between the elites and the poor grew rapidly, and eventually out of this would arise an educated man whose name in history is Doctor Martin Schooler.

According to legend, Schooler is the son of a carpenter, whose mother would get pregnant under suspicious circumstances. He was raised on a farm to be gentle but stern with his flock, and went to see the big city in Birmingham. There he quickly self-educated, and would become a pastor in the Southern Baptist Church. He was granted the wisdom of what we would associate with his communism from a talking mockingbird, who sang to him his destiny. What many historians believe is more likely is that Martin Schooler is actually Bernard Fordham, a black intellectual who went missing from Tulsa after being struck by a kicking horse. He was sent to a resort in Florida to heal by his wealthy patrons, but disappeared with the money. Fordham was a known communist sympathizer and familiar with its tenants, and descriptions of Schooler match closely with Fordham in photographs. This is however disputed by Newdonners today, and even by more credible sources. The New Dawn in Florida movement was started by workers in an orange plantation near Jernigan calling for land reform, and there Schooler would rise in prominence. He quickly co-opted the movement as his own, and used his charisma to amass wealth and influence.

The end of the Second Republic and beginning of the Third Republic would kickstart the revolution when the scientific minds behind the Third Republic allowed the New Dawn Movement to be the 'designated N*gro party'. There Schooler attained nationwide influence, coalescing many labor, civil rights, and christian leftist groups under his banner. He turned up the rhetoric of an apocalyptic battle in the New World, and began gathering stockpiles of weapons. When Dr. Tanner, the third President, decided to turn towards an industrialized economy, he faced immediate backlash from the fruit community. With international backing, the Lemon County conspiracy overthrew the third Republic, installing a constitutional monarchy under Prince Ludwig III of Bavaria. Ludwig quickly barred voting for anyone without property, and specifically targeted share-croppers, immediate possible threats to the plantation owners whose support he needed to rule.

The Revolution began when police forces fired upon demonstrators in Okeechobee. The demonstrators quickly brought to bear their own weapons, and fought back. The conflict that would result would destroy the Florida countryside as German troops became drawn in slowly. The Germans initially simply supplied technical support, particularly with chemical weapons. However, as repression increased, so did hostilities, and with German assets in the country under threat, eventually German troops would enter on the ground. The United States began to fund the New Dawn group via the Schooler trail, through the malarial swamps of Georgia and South Carolina, supplying weapons, Intel, and personnel that would prove critical to the fight. Three years of stalemate would eventually grind on the German resolve, and encourage a retreat in 1919.

The actual reign of Schooler was avoided, as it is believed he died during the course of the war, but was not publicly acknowledged as such till after the war. However, his successors would bring some of the most bizarre and wild politics to the American shores.

 

[B_Munro]

Only two again, with Dr. Kafka winning the contest.

 

[PobreCesar]

Bruce, I regret to inform you that this thread is old enough that some of the older posts have begun to lose their images here.

Diamond:

POD: Heinz Guderian dies in a training accident in 1935.

Without Guderian's bringing together of the various tactics then taking form, there is no strategy of Blitzkrieg. Germany's various annexations of Austria, the Sudetenland, etc, go more or less according to schedule, but there is no Phony War - Poland is not invaded in 1939. Instead, by some herculean efforts, Hitler's generals manage to convince him to wait and build up Germany's strength some more.

France finds itself increasingly isolated in Europe, as Britain has its hands full handling a full-scale uprising in Ireland (instigated, some say, by German agents). French communism grows in popularity, as many people see an alliance with the Soviet Union as the only way to off-set German might. In 1945, France finally goes Red, in a mostly bloodless coup.

War erupts the next year, and Germany once again finds herself fighting a two-front war against France and Russia. But this time, there is no Britain to help even the odds, and both Italy and Germany have had six more years than OTL to improve their militaries (equipment- and manpower-wise; strategically, things are little changed from the first Great War).

In this timeline, the Maginot Line does what it was intended to do - stop a German invasion cold. In the spring of 1950, three and half years into the Second Great War, the Western Front is a nightmare of mud, blood, and death. In the east, the Germans have swallowed huge chunks of Soviet territory, but their advance has stalled, and in places is being slowly rolled back.

Hitler is in ill health; rumors abound that he is on death's door, and various factions throughout the Reich prepare to seize the reins of power if and when the Fuhrer dies.

And in secret labs in the Reich, scientists led by Werner Heisenberg are perhaps a year away from completing work on a new type of bomb, one which will alter the course of world events forever...

Philip:

POD: Henry IV and Joanna La Beltraneja win the War of the Castilian Succession in 1478. The lone independent native state is Somalia. It survives primarily as a buffer between Iberian and Ottoman possessions. Oman was a client state of Iberia until the late 18th Century. When it broke away it took some Iberian possessions with it.

Clichés avoided: Congo is not in the hands of a minor power. Abyssinia/Ethiopia is not independent. I am sure there are many clichés I failed to avoid.

To give two examples

 

[B_Munro]

Bruce, I regret to inform you that this thread is old enough that some of the older posts have begun to lose their images here.




To give two examples

Damn. I've already gone into this thread to do corrections: now it seems I need to do it again.

 

[B_Munro]

MotF 186: The Visible Hand
The Challenge

Make a map showing the territories controlled directly or indirectly by a trading company or corporation.

 

[B_Munro]

Only two.

Crazy Boris:

My first time ever doing one of these contests, I started planning this right after I saw the thread ^^

I wanted to do a country that didn't have a company OTL, and had a hard time trying to figure one out (I was considering Malta for a bit) until I found this on Ahmad Al-Mansur's wiki page: "In a letter of 1 May 1601 he wrote that he also had ambitions to colonize the New World with Moroccans.", and I decided to build something up around that.

I tried to make the overall picture look like a page from a US history textbook.