União de Sul África

The USA and a powerful Portugese South Africa are major players on the world stage in 1914.

Colonial History: Portugal 1608-1807

 * 1608:The Dutch naval forces sieze the Portugese base on Mozambique Island. This leaves Portugal without a valuable stoping point to their trading sites in Asia.


 * 1615: Colony of Porto Dourado (Port Elizibeth OTL) established. Evolves into Costa Dourado


 * 1630: Dutch attempt to take Porto Dourado fails. Large scale enslavement of local tibes. Expansion allows for development of ranches and farms. Immigration and birth rate steadily increases the population. Becomes port for aquiring food for trips to Asia. Large scale shipment of convicts to use as labor alongside slaves


 * 1670: Crown colony of Costa Dourado stretches from Porto da Esperança (Port of Hope, OTL Capetown) to Cidade do Mar Grande (Town of the Great SSea,OTL East London). It has a population of about 7,500 freedmen (merchants, craftsmen, soldiers, convicts, noblemen, farmers and ranchers) and about twice as many slaves. The population and wealth is mostly centered in Porto Dourado but they hidden money maker are the tea and sugar plantations.


 * 1720: The decline of internal slave trade due to extreme depopulation of natives. In response Portugal Ships in slaves from East and West Africa, Brazil and a few from Asia. The new slaves and immigrants from Europe cause high social tensions as the colony expands farther into the interior. Population is about 60,000 total. Escaped slaves start to form bands and join with tribes. The planing of a road network to connect cities to outpost and to make settling the frontier easier.


 * 1740:Through population growth and the buying of new parcels of land by rich plantation owners the colony increases its size by a half in the interior. Tribes of escaped slaves start aquireing guns. Population is 100,000[[Image:Mapsa1740.jpg]]


 * 1760: Armed escaped slaves start to raid plantations and ranches for food and more guns. Population 130,000. First of three massive immigration waves begin as Costa Dourado's hidden wealth is slowly discovered. Immigration is largely from Portugal and Portugese colonies in America. Brings approx. 50,000 people who dominatly settle on the coasts.


 * 1780: The first major military operation in Portugese South Africa begins. The roayl army begins a five year campaign to root out escaped slave gorilla bands and to add a large chunk of the interior to the colony. Costa Dourado now encompases moder day Leslotho. Castelo da Vingança (Fort Revenge, OTL Pretoria) established. Population is 200,000.


 * 1804: The third devastating winter hits Canada, nearly destroying the food crop. Thousands die of disease and stavation and aid from Mother England is shrinking due to troubles in Europe. Many look to their now prosperous cousins in the USA. There is a growing call for canada, not just Ontario, to join with their American brothers.


 * 1806: Large shipment of money ($12,000,000) to Britain is intercepted and (unknowingly) destroyed by the French. Great Britain decides to ceede Canada for $15,000,000 to the US, gadually giving over territory as the money shipments arrive (the US could not handle the $30,000,000 to buy Canada and Louisiana all at once) Britain would retain all military bases until furthur negotiations.

These huge territorial additions introduce a new feeling of expansionism in the US. They look towards Spanish Cuba, Florida and Mexico, specifically Texas and California, with hungry eyes.

British essentially abandon North America alltogether and look towards extensively colonizing Asia and Africa

Colonial History: Britain 1807-1841

 * 1807: Britain invades and occupies Porto Dourado, renaming it The Royal Province of British South Afrcia. The name change is somewhat ironic at the time as the British population in Porto Dourado was essentially nil. Britain justfied the act as a protective measure to keep the colony out of French hands but their true, unstated motives are to secure the colony for the trade routs to India and Asia and to replace the loss of Canada.


 * 1816: A young plantation owner named Jose Amaral discovers diamonds on his sugar plantation near Monte Nevoento (Foggy Hill(OTL Kimberly).


 * 1817: The second massive wave of immigration to South Africa. This time it is composed of a large number of Irish, Scotish, Germans and Dutch, Asian Indians, convicts bound for Australia and Scandanavians. Incrases Poplulation by 75%, making it 455,000. Huge scale settlement of frontier as diamond mining towns spring up.

British start renaming campaign. Porto Dourado renamed Golden Port. Cidade do Mar Grande renamed New Georgia. Porto da Esperança renamed Hope's Port. Castelo da Vingança renamed Kingstown. New Dublin (which used to be called Baía dos Bois (Bay of Oxen) by the Portugese) is the stoping point for the Irish and convict immigrants while Dutchtown is the stopping point of the German, Scandanavian and Dutch immigrants.


 * 1818: The USA forces Spain to ceede Florida and Cuba in exchange for limited monetary aid in the Chilean war of independace.


 * 1822: Once again social tensions reach a breaking point in RPBSA as immigrants and the native Portugese fight over land. Vigilantes and militias spring up.


 * 1823: Full fleged rebellion erupts. Highly disorganized and under-armed, these small pockets of militia are more concerned with fighting each other than the British Army. The British sweep in and utterly rout the rebels. The colony is declared a military district and General James Smith is appointed Military Governer by Parlement (basically he is granted the power of dictator).


 * 1824: Smith institutes the Treason Acts, which would basically make it illegal to be, in any way, against the British Empire. It would also make it illegal to challenge his authority.


 * 1825: Smith institutes the Executive Act which would give him to power to execute anyone whom he saw as a threat to the Crown.


 * 1828: Golden Port Massacre. Approx. 2000 people rounded up and shot in the back of the head for 'being disobedient'. Horrified by the act, Parlement removes Smith and replaces him with an old fashon Colonial Governer.


 * 1834: The Parlement banns slavery in Great Britain and all of her territories, including South Africa. Huge riots break out among Portugese population. As slavery is deeply engrained in South African culture few a happy to give up this cheap labor source. Least is mining mogul Jose Amaral.


 * 1835: Sevral large mining companies (unhappy with giving up their free labor) purchase cannons, rifles and ammunition as well as hiring mercinaries and conscripting their own private armies. The British, occupied in India, to too little too late to avert the growing crisis.

Founding and Growth

 * 1841: A União de Sul África, known in English as The Union of South Africa, is established by General Pedro Dias. A Constitution is drafted by leaders of the 1836 revolution. It is heavily based on the United States constitution with a few exeptions (tricameral legislature and no electoral college are the biggest). Withen months political parties spring up. The most powerful two are the Liberty Party (Partido Da Liberdade) and the Grand Africa Party (Partido de África Grande). The Liberty Party is left-wing and composed of Irish, Asians, freed slaves middle class Portugese and city dwellers. The Grand Africa Party is a right-wing semi-facist party composed of rural farmers and wealthy plantation owners.


 * 1842: Pedro Dias is appointed Interm President by the three houses of Congress. He institutes a system of temporary indenturment to boost the economy. To pay the soldiers who had fought in the rebelion Dias ceeded huge tracts of 'uninhabited' land to soldiers, totally disregarding the native population. He repayed the debts owed to the USA and France with large amounts of diamonds.


 * 1846: Jose Amaral is elected President. This highly contested election was between John MacDonald of the Liberty Party and Jose Amaral of the GAP.

Mexican-American war is finished with Mexico ceeding the US Californa, Texas and the area made of by the Gadsen Purchase. First American trading post is established in Hawaii called Port Washington(OTL Pearl Harbor).


 * 1873-75: American-backed rebellion is Hawaii. Republic of Hawaii formed. In 1875 Hawaii is annexed by the US.


 * 1876-77: American-Dutch War. The advanced US Navy, completely equiped with Ironclads, the biggest cannons of any navy and Gatling Guns, completely trumps Dutch Navy . Holland is forced to ceede Suriname and most of the East Indies to the US.


 * 1878: Congress of Athens: Meeting between Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal and South Africa. The map of Africa is devided up by the colonial powers. South Africa was enraged that Britain blocked her moves on OTL Northern Mozambique and Madagascar, giving these territories to Portugal. SA backed the German claim to the Congo and Nigeria. Nigeria was agreed to be split between Germany and Britain.


 * 1885-88: Portugese-African War. The first war between South Africa and a European power. Italy joins on the side of Portugal, while the US joins South Africa. Desisive South African victory, with South Africa gaining control of Costa de Prata (Silver Coast(OTL Madagascar) and Italian Somalia. The US takes only Macau.