Timeline (A Brutal Victor)

The Brutal Victor Timeline explores the world when a world war breaks out in Europe in 1904. The period that predated this situation was called the Commercial Revolution, when commerce thrived in Europe and North America, and more interventionist groups formed. The timeline begins when alliances begin to form in Europe, and Russia wages war with Communist China.

Point of Divergence/1900

William Jennings Bryan, the Democratic candidate for president in 1900 is known for his discredit of President William McKinley's idea of imperialism, and announces his intention to bring the American troops out of the Philippines. This gathers attention, and many moderate Republicans are attracted to his fiery populist and anti-imperialistic agenda. Going into Election Day, it looked to close. On November 5, 1900, William Jennings Bryan was able to squeak out an election victory. While William Jennings Bryan was running his campaign for president, China's new born Communist Party, founding off the idea of toppling the dynasty, succeeded in congressional elections, and took power later that year. Russia was also affected by rapidly spreading communist ideology, and had just benefited of a deal they made with the Ottoman Empire, called the Russian-Ottoman Oil Deal of 1899. The deal included Russians getting free access to oil in the Middle East, while they would have to provide defense and an alliance for the empire. This positively affected both countries, and helped Russia become a major European empire. Briefly, the British Empire, with colonies in the Middle East, attempts to get into part of that deal, as it will restore their status as a world economic powerhouse. The Russians refuse, and the British call on China to attack them. They claim that the Russians are trying to sabotage China by creating a large sphere of influence inside the country.