Alternate Destinies (French Trafalgar, British Waterloo)

Alternate Biographies is an article to list and describe the lives of those we know in OTL (Our Timeline) in French Trafalgar, British Waterloo.

Goebbels, Paul Joseph
Dr. Paul Joseph Goebbels (1897-1965) is a highly respected American diplomat, including Secretary of State under President's George C. Marshall and Harry S. Truman. The third out of five children of German Immigrants, Goebbels lived a happy youth in Illinois, where he developed a strong passion for his adopted home. Joseph was able to avoid conscription into the US Army due to a deformed right foot (the result of a childhood attack of osteomyelitis and a failed operation to correct it). He instead studied law and literature at the University of Chicago before applying for service in the US State Department in 1921, and was accepted. He held posts in, , and  in the 1920's and early 1930's before receiving his first ambassadorial post to Assiniboia in 1937, and was considered a rising star in the State Department. In 1941, with the election of President, Goebbels was transfered to the , where he only served a few months before the outbreak of the. During the war, Goebbels primarily served as an envoy between the US and other members of the, helping to arrange the Amphibious Invasion of the Confederacy by the Latin American nations. After the election President Marshall, Goebbels was named his Secretary of State, and managed to help keep the alliance together in the final months before the surrender of in 1946. After the re-election of Marshall in 1949, Goebbels remained as Secretary of State and was instrumental in forming the coalition of nations, and the response to the. After the election of in 1953, Goebbels resigned from the position of Secretary of State and retired to his home in Chicago, where he started righting his memoirs and papers on international affairs, as well as giving lectures at the University of Chicago. He died of a heart attack in his sleep on May 6, 1965 at the age of 68

Skryabin, Vyacheslav Mikhailovich
The last Prime Minister of Imperial, as well as first President of the Russian republic, Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Skryabin (1880-1974), nicknamed "Molotov" (Russian for "hammer") by an appreciative public, was perhaps one of the greatest statesmen from Russia in decades, and his actions helped shaped the course of the future destiny of Russia. Born in th small village of Kukarka, Skryabin was recognized early on as a bright student, and was given scholarships to attend Imperial Moscow University, and graduated in 1902 at the top of his law and history class. He soon after became a diplomat in the Russian Foreign Ministry, quickly rising through the ranks. His first major posting was Ambassador to Persia in 1910, soon cementing an alliance that would stand until the present day.

However, the soon forced the Foreign Ministry to move the rising star to the choice posting of ambassador to  (1912-1918), before helping negotiate the peace on behalf of Russia. After, he was sent as Ambassador to the for seven years (1918-1925), helping to cement the friendship between Russia and the US. When he returned home, Skryabin announced he was retiring, and left the public service to write and spend time with his wife and three children. This lasted until 1931, when Prime Minister Leon Trotsky personally asked Skryabin to become the Foreign Minister. The quietness of retirement was making Skryabin restless, and he jumped at the opportunity, and was quickly approved by Czar Nicholas II.

In his new post, Skryabin soon earned his nickname "Molotov." The needed to be crushed, and advised the young Nikita Khrushchev, Minister of State, on how to handle this, and later the battle against the massive unemployment left by the Stock Market Crash of 1931. Also, he pushed for peace in China, as well as the failed attempts for weapon's control. The death of Prime Minister Trotsky in 1938, followed weeks later by the Crown Prince Alexi was mourned by all, and Nicholas II asked Skryabin to form the next government, which he accepted.

However, Nicholas II died weeks later, and his brother, Micheal, was appointed Czar. This lead to open protests and dissent yet another Communist coup, which Skryabin dealt with swiftly, arresting thousands accused of being communists, though all were subject to a fair trial before decisions were ruled. But the National Socialist invasion of Russia in 1942 soon rallied the nation around Czar Micheal and Prime Minister Skryabin, who valiantly remained in Moscow, along with the Czar, as the Natso armies closed in. The vicious fight to restore Russia After the first winter soon lead to Russian armies occupying Berlin in 1946, though St. Petersburg had been destroyed by nuclear weapons.

The pre-war crisis of the monarchy soon reared its head again, after Micheal died, and his son, the illegitimate George, (who was only legitimized by Czar Nicholas II) was placed on the throne, and tried to make himself more active in day-to-day affairs of the nation. This action was met by protests, strikes and work stoppages for months. By 1948, Prime Minister Skryabin flatly stated to George that unless something was done, he would resign his post, along with most of the cabinet. This would have lead the Czar to appoint a new government, but with no popular support. Therefore, George announced his resignation, and his cousin Andri would only accept the throne if it was approved by the people. The referendum, however close, was against the continuation of the monarchy, which was replaced with a republic. Skryabin was named the first President in 1948, and served for ten years in his post, before declining to run in the 1958 election. During this time, he managed to help restore Russia's economy, as well as modernize the armed forces and promote peace around the world, though later he joined the, and became an ally of the , in 1955. In his later years after retirement, he became a highly respected statesmen, traveling around the world to promote his causes, and serving as a litigator in the end of the Venezuelan War. He died in 1978 in his home in Servdolisk, Russia. His funeral was attended by dignitaries around the world, including the US President and the French Emperor, who set aside their differences this once.