The Coldest War Redux (Alt-Hist Cold War RP - OOC)

[Catalaonia]

WIP.

APPLICATION
NS Name: Catalaonia
RP Name: United Kingdom
Flag: https://imgur.com/FYGd7oe
Capital: London
Territory: United Kingdom at it's current height.
Population: Mainland = 52,727,763

Official Language(s): English
Ethnic Breakdown: Mainland-Only
White British - 99.2%
Other - 0.8%
Religious Breakdown:
- 87% Christian
- 9% Atheist
- 4% Other.

Type of Government: Constitutional Parliamentary Monarchy.
Head of State: Queen Elizabeth II
Head of Government: Prime Minister Enoch Powell
Legislature (the name of your national legislature): House of Commons.
Legislative Houses (if your legislature is bicameral): House of Lords/House of Commons.
Party in Power: Conservative and Unionist Party
National Issues:

Stagnate Economy - Since the mid-50's, the UK Economy has been on the ropes, hit by poor heavy industry and a lack of trading partners, and therefore faces a deep recession. Widespread strikes and a collapsing heavy industry has left the British economy stagnate for over a decade.

Colonial Uprisings - Across Africa and Asia, colonies of the United Kingdom are rebelling, with various far-right groups advocating for independence in South Africa and British Central Africa set to become trouble for the future of the empire. Although quelling them may be an easy task, the amount of rebellions and the growing stance of decolonisation in the House of Commons.

Divided Cabinet - Powell's Cabinet could be best described as divided, with most of that coming from two things; Decolonisation and EEC Continued Membership. Although on the economy and most domestic issues, the cabinet and party are mostly united, these two issues have sometimes come in the way of vital laws passing.

Militant Unions - After the right-wing, nationalistic Enoch Powell was elected in a landslide, 90-seat majority, in 1959, the unions which has been under relaxed rules over strikes and financial regulations, had became almost militant, with the creation of the Worker's Paramilitary Union, in which the government fear could create strikes into violent protests.

We will surrender - The humiliating 1943 Peace treaty, even to the new decade, is still in the mind of many Brits, and is often seen as an embarrassing moment for the nation. Although this is not a current issue, it has been an issue on foreign policy and cut the UK's reputation by half.

Public Goals: Take the UK out of Recession, recover UK Heavy Industry, cut down on mass immigration and keep the British empire intact.
Private Goals: A hardliner stance on Greater German Reich, supply weapons to Reich-controlled areas and quell anti-colonist revolts in Africa and Asia.

GDP (nominal): £65 Billion.
Currency: British Pound.
Economic System: Mixed Economy.
Major Trade Partners: German Reich, USA, France, China and Various African States.
Alliance(s): None at the moment.

Military Branches (names of official Armed Forces Branches):
- Royal Army
- Royal Navy
- Royal Airforce (RAF)
- Royal Marines
- British Colonial Garrison (BCG)

Active Duty: 425,000
Reserve Duty: 850,000
Total Manpower: ?

Land Forces:
300,000 in total.
1950's equipment

Air Force:
200 Hurricanes
320 Spitfires
Various other aircraft

Naval Forces:
200 Destroyers.
50 Submarines
45 Coastal Patrol Ships.
9 Cruisers.

Other Military Information:
The British Colonial Garrison has a total force of 125,000 members.

History:
Churchill's Surrender and Post-War recovery

In 1943, Winston Churchill, who had been determined to keep the war effort going, was forced by his cabinet to sign a embarrassing peace agreement with the German Reich, and the war is over for the United Kingdom. Almost instantly, Churchill and the government became massively unpopular and was forced to resign over unpopularity and via multiple resignations in his cabinet. Edward Wood was chosen by the cabinet, known as the National Government, to be the PM until the 1945 General election.

Wood has been a One-Nation Pragmatist, and during his short tenure of just 2 years, managed to pass vital legalisation with the introduction of the modern welfare state as-well the groundwork for state-owned companies. Despite a slow tick in popularity, the 1945 election saw defeat for Wood's Tories and Atlee's instillation of power.

Atlee, Donavon and Colonial Tensions

The UK's economy suffered a short-lived boom in the first few months, mostly through the initial popularity of Atlee's government. From 1945-47, Atlee made widespread reforms, increasing welfare payments and setting up the NHS, similar to RL. Atlee's domestic reforms, not just in economy, but to domestic affairs, were popular, and managed to recover the British economy, hitting 5.2% growth for 1947. However, many note the UK faced a delayed "Post-War Depression" which saw relations between unions and the government turn cold, as the UK's heavy industry was left out in the cold.

The UK plunged into a recession in the Summer of 1948, and Atlee's government was fairly unpopular. Atlee made efforts to deter this by his visit to various colonies, which backfired and even saw the Ugandan Uprising of 1949 follow suit, which further deterred his popularity. In the 1949 election, the Conservatives won an 8-seat majority, led by the young, one-nation pragmatistic politician, Allister Donavon, to become PM. In his first year, Donavon managed to recover the economy via his tax cuts and his calming of the markets, as-well as the quelling of the several revolts in Africa.

He formed the British Colonial Garrison, mostly in Central Africa, in response to heightened tensions, as-well as his banking reforms early into 1950 led to an economic boom from 1950-1952, leading to a reinforced sense of optimism in Britain. This soon went in the Winter of 53'. Amid union tensions and mostly industry tensions, the government declared a temporary 2-year ban on strikes, which was the sole catalyst for widespread strikes, protests and riots across the country. The winter of 53' saw an economic gridlock, and had long-lasting impacts. Donavon faced a seemingly impossible 1954 election, facing strikes and unpopularity. However, he managed to win via a coalition with The Liberal Party. Some have called the 1954 election a shock, however, it was Labour's support of the strikes which saw their support crumble.

Donavon led for another 2 years, in which were considered fairly stagnate, unable to pass vital law to prevent widespread strikes. The UK economy struggled to pick up speed, with inflation ticking up and up during this period. From 1953-1956, this is often called the "3 years of strikes". Allister resigned for health reasons after falling ill of heart disease, and saw his Deputy PM, Harold Macmillan, succeed him.

Rise and Fall of Macmillan

Macmillan tenure as PM has 2 parts. His early years up to the Summer of 1958 were considered fairly good, with his swift reforms on housing and the establishment of a more defined middle-class seeing some form of recovery, however, Macmillan was plagued by the more nationalistic and his opposition to his encouragement of immigration, the leader of this faction being Enoch Powell. Then came the Summer of 1958, when Macmillan failed to pass the Banking Reform Act thanks to a revolt led by Powell. This led to what was known as his political downfall. During this period up to the 1959 election, with Labour struggling to gain any sense of stability, mostly divided on trade unions and economic policy, Macmillan went to war with Powell's "Blue Boys" or known as the "Black Tories".

Macmillan's Popularity faded quickly during this tenure of parliamentary stagnation and political gridlock. With just a few months until the 1959 election, Macmillan folded and resigned as PM, mostly due to pressure from his cabinet, who supported Powell, as-well as his unpopularity. Powell won the leadership race and became PM.

Powell's Victory and Present Day

The 1959 election was a surprise once more. Deemed see either a hung parliament or a slim conservative majority. It was Powell's cuts to immigration, promises of a harder stance on Germany and establishment of an "Inter-connected African economy" which gained his party a landslide victory. Fast-forward to the present day, and the UK is in the midth of an economic recession, domestic and international problems, and a cold war. Will Britain look to take on the German might, or will the sun finally set on the British empire?

RP Example(s): N/A

Do not remove - 1960RP

[Sao Nova Europa]

Hmmm
For India, figuring out what would take place between 1952 to 1960 in that country.

A tough decision to start over as a Russian state or continue with the India idea

Well, you will have to make a decision sooner rather than later because if someone else decides to claim parts of Russia or India and you haven't decided yet, I cannot in good faith reject their reservation lol

[Shohun]

RESERVATION
NS Name: Shohun
RP Name: United States of America
Territory: IRL US

Do not remove - 1960RP

[Sao Nova Europa]

RESERVATION
NS Name: Shohun
RP Name: United States of America
Territory: IRL US

Do not remove - 1960RP

Reservation noted.

[Sao Nova Europa]

WIP.

Looks really good so far and I'm interested to see the final application.

One thing to note though: the UK cannot be a member of both the EEC and NATO. It will have to choose one or be neutral at the start of the RP, since EEC is dominated by Germany while NATO by the US.

[Arvenia]

Is Canada still aligned with the UK?

[GermanEmpire of kaisereich]

In this PR, Italy can change sides against Germany, right? Like making a secret deal with the US to overthrow the Reich.

[Sao Nova Europa]

Is Canada still aligned with the UK?

Probably. It would certainly not be pro-German, since I doubt the US would tolerate a pro-German state to their north. But within this framework there is broad freedom on what to do with Canada: you could have them be similar to RL Canada or even have them become a republic.

[Union Princes]

APPLICATION
NS Name: Union Princes
RP Name: United Indian Federation
Flag: Truth Alone Triumphs
Capital: New Delhi
Territory: India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bengal, Nepal, Bhutan, and Burma
Population: 550 million

Official Language(s): English
Ethnic Breakdown: Over 600 recognized languages
Religious Breakdown: Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, and Judaism

Type of Government: Federal parliamentary constitutional republic under a One-Party coalition
Head of State: Nedyam Raghavan
Head of Government: Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru
Legislature: Parliament
Legislative Houses: Council of States (Upper), House of the People (Lower)
Party in Power: Indian National Congress
National Issues:

• Bureau Catch-22: Democracy is working but after three general elections of 1952, 1956, and 1960, it shows that there are still some cracks within the federal structure in India. Where the line between Federal authority and State Rights meet is often blurred as local governments are all too often accused of religious and ethnic favoritism by the various ethnic minorities. Too much federal reach would undermine the core philosophy of self-governance and citizen's rights while too much state power would dissolve the Federation into a sectarian disaster.
• Religious Extremism: Although the constitution guarantees the freedom of religion and protection of minorities, there are still those zealot fanatics committing terrorism to advance their own religious agenda. India must combat these extremists and not give in to radical ideology.
• Dysfunctional Democracy: The Indian National Congress is a big-tent political party ranging from communism to borderline fascism, and everything in between. Unfortunately, this large-reaching coalition has led to many issues within our government, with conservatives constantly feuding with leftists and anarchists feuding with centrists. The charisma of Nehru kept the part together.

Public Goals: Modernize the country and military, maintain neutrality, strengthen the government, decolonization
Private Goals: Develop nuclear weapons, maintain the independence of the Middle East, gain influence over the Middle East

GDP (nominal): $250 billion
Currency: Rupee
Economic System: Mixed Economy
Major Trade Partners: China, America, Europe, Middle East, East, and South Africa
Alliance(s): None

Military Branches (names of official Armed Forces Branches): Indian Armed Forces (Indian Army, Indian Air Force, Indian Navy)

Active Duty: 1.3 million
Reserve Duty: 8 million
Total Manpower: 80 million

Land Forces:
About 1 million soldiers
WW2-era equipment and artillery
No tanks
Air Force:
100 Hurricanes
100 Spitfires
100 Mosquitoes
8,000 Airmen
Naval Forces:
Ten WWII-era Destroyers
2,000 sailors
Other Military Information:
Unlike most of the world powers, India is in a unique position where its population is its greatest strength; making the Indian Army the largest volunteer force in the world. Despite the appearance of a backwater rabble armed only with a rifle, bayonet, and helmet (if given the option, the Indian Army inherited the British regimental system and most importantly, the bagpipes. With a low standard of living and soldiering as a well-respected trade, the United Indian Federation has the unique advantage to pick and create one of the most effective armies in the world, even higher than the British. Even the Wehrmacht is fearful of the Indian soldiers.

Another notable aspect of the Federation's military is how diverse it is. From the Gurkha riflemen to the Bengali engineers, there is a regiment of every ethnicity from every religion gathered from all four corners of the nation. The Gurkhas themselves emerge as a paragon of what a professional soldier is and thus, formed to be the core units that make up the Indian Special Forces.
History:
The POD for a united subcontinent began when Muhammad Ali Jinnah, leader of the All-India Muslim League, does not return to India after 1920 but chooses to stay as a barrister and Muslim rights activist in England. Thus, this leaves the Muslim League without the necessary charismatic leader to push for a two-nation theory. As the result, the Indian National Congress has a more successful argument for a unified and independent India. However, London is still keen on keeping the crown jewel of the empire intact. From the 1920s to the mid-30s, Mahatma Gandhi still continues to promote his civil disobedience against the British Raj, attracting tens of millions of followers. He would still have tea with King George V, befriend Albert Einstein, and encounter Charlie Chaplain during his multiple tours of England. Gandhi's actions would make him the Spiritual Father of India and the face of the United Free India Movement.

At the outbreak of WW2, the British Raj sent over 2 million volunteers to aid England in Africa, knocking the teeth out of the Italians in Egypt and North Africa and skirmishing with Rommel's Afrika Korps. On the home front, not all Indians supported being the meatshield of the British Empire. One such Indian was Subhash Chandra Bose, who went out of his way to contact Imperial Japan and formed the Indian Nationalist Army. He would gain controversy among the British for being an Axis collaborator yet is so well-beloved in India that when the British attempted to put him on trial after getting captured in 1942, almost the entire Raj and the British Indian Army revolted in protest. The first pardon King Edward VIII signed was given to Bose, allowing him to return to India as a national celebrity.

Yet, with the tremendous loss of prestige, British power in the subcontinent considerably as the INC became more restless every month. Even the Gurkhas, renowned for their loyalty to the British Throne, joined the independence fervor as Nepal and Bhutan began agitating for freedom. British withdrawal would've ended sooner if it weren't for London dragging its feet in delaying the inevitable. But the day finally came on August 15, 1947 when the signing of the Indian Independence Act formally recognize the complete termination of British Imperialism over South Asia. That same day, Bose, being a surprisingly fierce negotiator, successfully convinced Bhutan, Nepal, Ceylon, and Burma in a council to join the newly established Republic of India. August 23rd saw the Treaty of Pondicherry between India and the French State, legalizing Indian control over French India (taken in 1940 after France fell to Germany), and the Treaty of Goa between Portugal and India which saw the recognition of Indian annexation of Portuguese India.

A constitutional convention took up the rest of 1947 and into mid-1948, seeing the union between India, Burma, Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka transition into the United Indian Federation. The first national election would see the INC dominate the ballot, leading Jawaharlal Nehru to become India's first prime minister. All this time, nations around the world expected this grand ceremony to quickly fall apart on religious on ethnic lines but with Gandhi's spiritualism, Nehru's iron will, and Bose's nationalism, the Federation held on together for four years, leading to a new wave of optimism for the people. Yet, that new wave of goodwill died when Gandhi was assassinated by a disgruntled Hindu fundamentalist. Without Gandhi, the mutual respect between Bose and Nehru became fragile and threatened to break down. But the ideas of a united continent kept them from falling through completely. While Nehru acted as the bureaucrat, Bose was the commander overseeing reforms in the Indian military, modernizing it to the best of his abilities.

Now Nehru, the other Founding Father, has won his third term on the platform of foreign neutrality and social progressivism. It was clear that India had a better start than most would expect given its immense size. That didn't stop critics from accusing Nehru of turning the country into a one-party state under his leadership. While it's true that there are opposition parties too small to confront the big tent organization which is the Indian National Congress, the party leaders remain committed to social democracy and liberalism. Their affiliation is due to nostalgia and respect for Nehru and the late Gandhi.

Speaking of neutrality, Nehru remains committed to anti-colonialism and anti-imperialism, secretly funding weapons and money to the various rebel groups in Africa and the Middle East. A method to tear away British and Italian influence from the regions.
RP Example(s): Twilight of the Gods

Do not remove - 1960RP

[Sao Nova Europa]

In this PR, Italy can change sides against Germany, right? Like making a secret deal with the US to overthrow the Reich.

At the start of the RP, no. This would disturb the Cold War scenario planned for the RP. It is also to be noted that even though parts of the Italian political elite may have reservations about the alliance with Germany or further integration into the EEC, Italy has long-standing military and economic ties to Germany which cannot be just cut off.

Perhaps a few years into the IC the political situation gradually changes and Italy will first become neutral and then possibly align with the United States. This actually can be an interesting storyline to pursue IC, the struggle between old-school fascists who believe in the German ideal of Europe and a newer generation who are warier. Perhaps this newer generation will also pursue political liberalization of some sort as well. But all this will take time and plenty of IC posts. Just throwing in ideas.

Have to warn though that doing so at the start (Italy just randomly decided at page one to turn on Germany) will be blocked.

[Sao Nova Europa]

APPLICATION
NS Name: Union Princes
RP Name: United Indian Federation

ACCEPTED

[GermanEmpire of kaisereich]

In this PR, Italy can change sides against Germany, right? Like making a secret deal with the US to overthrow the Reich.

At the start of the RP, no. This would disturb the Cold War scenario planned for the RP. It is also to be noted that even though parts of the Italian political elite may have reservations about the alliance with Germany or further integration into the EEC, Italy has long-standing military and economic ties to Germany which cannot be just cut off.

Perhaps a few years into the IC the political situation gradually changes and Italy will first become neutral and then possibly align with the United States. This actually can be an interesting storyline to pursue IC, the struggle between old-school fascists who believe in the German ideal of Europe and a newer generation who are warier. Perhaps this newer generation will also pursue political liberalization of some sort as well. But all this will take time and plenty of IC posts. Just throwing in ideas.

Have to warn though that doing so at the start (Italy just randomly decided at page one to turn on Germany) will be blocked.

With these lines, it makes me think that there would have to be a civil war.:-:

[Union Princes]

Gonna enjoy Indian-US relations.

James Bond goes to India for his next film

[Sao Nova Europa]

At the start of the RP, no. This would disturb the Cold War scenario planned for the RP. It is also to be noted that even though parts of the Italian political elite may have reservations about the alliance with Germany or further integration into the EEC, Italy has long-standing military and economic ties to Germany which cannot be just cut off.

Perhaps a few years into the IC the political situation gradually changes and Italy will first become neutral and then possibly align with the United States. This actually can be an interesting storyline to pursue IC, the struggle between old-school fascists who believe in the German ideal of Europe and a newer generation who are warier. Perhaps this newer generation will also pursue political liberalization of some sort as well. But all this will take time and plenty of IC posts. Just throwing in ideas.

Have to warn though that doing so at the start (Italy just randomly decided at page one to turn on Germany) will be blocked.

With these lines, it makes me think that there would have to be a civil war.:-:

Just to clarify, when you say civil war, do you mean at the start of the RP or later on? At the start of the RP a civil war won't be allowed, but if you mean at some point later in the IC perhaps yes.

I have to say that a lot of the early Italy experience in this RP will be trying to maintain stability in colonies, balancing realpolitik that requires good relations with Germany with a desire to safeguard Italy's national independence, and domestic reforms to promote economic growth. It's not a nation that from the very start has total freedom of choosing alliances, and a lot of the focus will be on domestic affairs.

Perhaps a nation in Southern America will be closer to what you have in mind? Nations like Chile or Argentina have greater freedom, both when it comes to internal structure (democracy or fascism) and international alliances (pro-German, pro-US, or neutral). Just a thought.

[GermanEmpire of kaisereich]

With these lines, it makes me think that there would have to be a civil war.:-:

Just to clarify, when you say civil war, do you mean at the start of the RP or later on? At the start of the RP a civil war won't be allowed, but if you mean at some point later in the IC perhaps yes.

I have to say that a lot of the early Italy experience in this RP will be trying to maintain stability in colonies, balancing realpolitik that requires good relations with Germany with a desire to safeguard Italy's national independence, and domestic reforms to promote economic growth. It's not a nation that from the very start has total freedom of choosing alliances, and a lot of the focus will be on domestic affairs.

Perhaps a nation in Southern America will be closer to what you have in mind? Nations like Chile or Argentina have greater freedom, both when it comes to internal structure (democracy or fascism) and international alliances (pro-German, pro-US, or neutral). Just a thought.

That's more or less what I'm thinking about, either the civil war or something more peaceful, like a coup d'état in Italy, carried out by the military.

[Hypron]

RESERVATION
NS Name: United Kingdom of Hypron
RP Name: People's Republic of Korea
Territory: The Korean Peninsula

Do not remove - 1960RP

[Sao Nova Europa]

Just to clarify, when you say civil war, do you mean at the start of the RP or later on? At the start of the RP a civil war won't be allowed, but if you mean at some point later in the IC perhaps yes.

I have to say that a lot of the early Italy experience in this RP will be trying to maintain stability in colonies, balancing realpolitik that requires good relations with Germany with a desire to safeguard Italy's national independence, and domestic reforms to promote economic growth. It's not a nation that from the very start has total freedom of choosing alliances, and a lot of the focus will be on domestic affairs.

Perhaps a nation in Southern America will be closer to what you have in mind? Nations like Chile or Argentina have greater freedom, both when it comes to internal structure (democracy or fascism) and international alliances (pro-German, pro-US, or neutral). Just a thought.

That's more or less what I'm thinking about, either the civil war or something more peaceful, like a coup d'état in Italy, carried out by the military.

Civil war or military coup at the start of the RP will be blocked. A coup can happen at some point IC (perhaps by fascist hardliners who do not like a reformist government? Or some reformist clique in the military attempts a coup against a hardline fascist government?) but it is a storyline that will have to be developed for at least a page or two IC.

I have to be honest with you and say that perhaps you should consider a nation in South America, Africa, or Southeast Asia. From what I understand you desire greater freedom when it comes to domestic and international affairs, but Italy is one of those nations that have a predefined background to consider, so it is not a blank page.

You can certainly choose where to steer the wheel (gradual liberalization, move to a more hardline regime, a Deng Xiaoping style reform of the economy only, social unrest, etch), and there are many different directions to choose from and stories to tell. However, it is not a country that can from day 1 go from fascism to democracy or from German-aligned to US-aligned. Changes will have to be gradual (taking place over multiple posts) and carefully considered.

The same is true for nations like the US, Japan, or Germany. The Germans cannot suddenly embrace liberal democracy on page 1; US will not become a communist dictatorship on page 1; Japan will not suddenly invade Korea on page 1.

[Sao Nova Europa]

RESERVATION
NS Name: United Kingdom of Hypron
RP Name: People's Republic of Korea
Territory: The Korean Peninsula

Do not remove - 1960RP

Reservation noted.

[Arvenia]

RESERVATION
NS Name: Arvenia
RP Name: Republic of China
Territory: China, Taiwan, Senkaku and Mongolia

Do not remove - 1960RP

[Sao Nova Europa]

RESERVATION
NS Name: Arvenia
RP Name: Republic of China
Territory: China, Taiwan, Senkaku and Mongolia

Do not remove - 1960RP

Reservation noted.

[GermanEmpire of kaisereich]

That's more or less what I'm thinking about, either the civil war or something more peaceful, like a coup d'état in Italy, carried out by the military.

Civil war or military coup at the start of the RP will be blocked. A coup can happen at some point IC (perhaps by fascist hardliners who do not like a reformist government? Or some reformist clique in the military attempts a coup against a hardline fascist government?) but it is a storyline that will have to be developed for at least a page or two IC.

I have to be honest with you and say that perhaps you should consider a nation in South America, Africa, or Southeast Asia. From what I understand you desire greater freedom when it comes to domestic and international affairs, but Italy is one of those nations that have a predefined background to consider, so it is not a blank page.

You can certainly choose where to steer the wheel (gradual liberalization, move to a more hardline regime, a Deng Xiaoping style reform of the economy only, social unrest, etch), and there are many different directions to choose from and stories to tell. However, it is not a country that can from day 1 go from fascism to democracy or from German-aligned to US-aligned. Changes will have to be gradual (taking place over multiple posts) and carefully considered.

The same is true for nations like the US, Japan, or Germany. The Germans cannot suddenly embrace liberal democracy on page 1; US will not become a communist dictatorship on page 1; Japan will not suddenly invade Korea on page 1.

I'm not going to do a move at the start, you don't need to keep repeating that everything at the start will be blocked, because I know how to follow a RP.

[Chedastan]

Interesting, will certainly be keeping an eye on this, especially if an idea springs up.

[Sao Nova Europa]

Interesting, will certainly be keeping an eye on this, especially if an idea springs up.

Sure. Feel free to lurk around. We still have plenty of nations that are open and perhaps some of the reservations might expire.

[Chedastan]

Interesting, will certainly be keeping an eye on this, especially if an idea springs up.

Sure. Feel free to lurk around. We still have plenty of nations that are open and perhaps some of the reservations might expire.

Ngl, just gauging the map I think the prospects of there being a non-aligned Turkey being stuck in the middle of this Cold War may prove to be interesting to play as. So might put that down as a reservation in a bit.

[Shohun]

Did the Korean War happen in this timeline? I'm curious as to how it would have played out if the Soviets weren't too powerful and Communist China isn't in the pciture.