Shipbucket

I need ideas. I have been working on the Republic of the Carolinas AU, but I am somewhat concerned... I have been thinking, and I really wanted to start an AU in the Cold War Era of 1945 to the Present Day. If anybody has any ideas about an AU I should do in this period, I am willing to accept suggestions. I was thinking something along the lines of a Communist nation in the Caribbean, but I am still considering anything else.

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Best regards,

RegiaMarina1939

The same questions need to be answered no matter whether you want your AU in the 1880's or 1980's.

How much affect do you want your AU country to have on historical events? What sizes of ship do you want your country to build up to? Carriers? Battleships? Cruisers? smaller. Do you build your own or buy them in? How do you pay for it all? Where do the extra world resources to build your ships come from. Do you magic the resources/money into your AU country and then what size does your country need to be to have the resources/income to build what you want. While building your ships, that's only 1/2 your budget or less, you have to allow for land and air units as well. Do you want your units to be real or kitbashed to your satisfaction?

AU's are fun because you can alter things to suit you, but you still have to stick your AU into the fabric of reality. How your AU would affect real life. Will your AU make world events to one sided. Do you need to do something for the other side to even things up.

Whatever you decide to do have fun doing it.

I'm more a lurker here than anything else, but the AU worlds do fascinate me. If interested, I'd be more than happy to help you develop a time line for your country. While not exactly renowned for alternate-universe ship-building capability, one of my favorite sites is alternatehistory.com. Regardless, if interested, shoot me a PM and we can talk ideas.

I can answer both to almost all of those questions, I mean, I kinda want it to be a healthy mix. I was thinking something like a Union of Caribbean Communist states that builds ships domestically and buys them from the Warsaw Pact, paying for it all with cash crop exports like sugar, e.t.c

_________________
Best regards,

RegiaMarina1939

So, like an Uber-Cuba++.
That's certainly doable with minimal butterflies effecting the rest of the world.

How far back are you wanting to go with PoD?

1. What the devil is PoD again I totally forgot
2. Yes, Uber-Cuba can somewhat describe it
3. If you are asking what time frame I was looking at for this AU, I was thinking 1945-present

_________________
Best regards,

RegiaMarina1939

Sorry, Point of Departure/Divergence. How far back are you seeing the origin of your history branch off from OTL (Original Time Line)?

1945: So I'm guessing you want to pick up immediately post WWII. Obviously, your alternate history will go back MUCH farther than that... How much of the Caribbean were you thinking of netting?
Any cultural preferences?

1. What the devil is PoD again I totally forgot
2. Yes, Uber-Cuba can somewhat describe it
3. If you are asking what time frame I was looking at for this AU, I was thinking 1945-present[/quote]
Sorry, Point of Departure/Divergence. How far back are you seeing the origin of your history branch off from OTL (Original Time Line)?

1945: So I'm guessing you want to pick up immediately post WWII. Obviously, your alternate history will go back MUCH farther than that... How much of the Caribbean were you thinking of netting?
Any cultural preferences?[/quote]


Well. I was thinking of incorporating Cuba, Hispaniola (Dominican Republicnand Haiti) the Lesser Antilles and Jamaica, all of which rebel against colonial rule and become independent, establishing communist rule and allying with the soviets, whose protection and support is the only thing that prevents US intervention. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the US public doesn't want to risk another lengthy, Vietnam-like war in the Caribbean so the government leaves them alone and E places an embargo. And beyond that I'm still thinking.

_________________
Best regards,

RegiaMarina1939

I broke the quote whoops

_________________
Best regards,

RegiaMarina1939

All right, very rough idea, but how about this:
Toussaint Louverture is never captured by Napoleon's forces, and remains in power post-Haitian revolution.
Dessalines never comes to power, and Toussaint doesn't order the mass-executions and the 1804 massacre never happens.
Instead, the new regime follows the spiritual footsteps of the French Revolution, and while dragging down the French colonist's absolute hold on power, they are either integrated, or expelled.
As such, Haiti isn't nearly as ostracized as it was originally, and actually gains some influence and power.
Using this as a template and inspired by the success, the 1812 Aponte Slave Rebellion in Cuba gains much more support from the free black population, and pulls off a similar victory.
We now have a free, black run Cuba and Haiti. French-Haitian relations are healed, and Cuban-French relations soon follow.
Spain tried to re-take Cuba, France intervenes, and the Dominican Republic is the next to fall to freed slaves, and the Unification of Hispaniola is a success.

Part of the cause for the US Civil War is (in addition to everything else), the South pressing to end relations with Cuba and Hispaniola.
During the US Civil War, part of the South's attention is focused on Cuba and Hispaniola; which sees the two come together for mutual protection, and gives birth to the Cuban-Hispaniolan Navy.

Following the end of the Civil War the two work to promote Emancipation Movements around the Caribbean, netting the islands you mentioned.
Around this time, the Communist Manifesto makes the rounds in the region, and the world's first quasi-Communist nation is born; more a confederation but still..

Friendly relations with the US and France (Britain is not so keen to have lost territory in the region), sees economic success.
Eventually, they get really cuddly with the Soviet Union in the 30's, and joint the allies with WWII.
However, with the end of the war, they go down the path of choosing the Soviets over the Free World; and so are very early adopters of Soviet technology, and recipients of Soviet aid.
That gives you plenty of lee-way and funding to build/do as you like.

Anyway, that's just off the top of my head.
Thoughts?