European Community (No Communism)

The European Community is a large economic alliance consisting of most of the continent of Europe.

Members

 * United Kingdom


 * France


 * Italy


 * Spain


 * Belgium


 * Switzerland


 * Netherlands


 * Denmark


 * Norway


 * Sweden


 * Finland


 * Portugal


 * Greece


 * Austria-Hungary


 * Germany


 * Romania


 * Serbia

Great Depression
After the end of the Great War, Europe was in crisis. Almost and entire generation of men had been killed by the fighting. The economy, geared for war but largely damaged by the fighting, war in chaos. Lavr Kornilov's Great Russia was threatening to invade eastern europe. America seemed more distant then ever.

In this enviroment, the European Community was founded. With the nobel aims of preventing war and fostering economic development, it was quickly hailed as the solution to all of Europe's problems. The organization refused to admit Russia. Although this was seen as ensuring peace, it probably almost caused a second Great War.

As the economy gradually recovered, the European Community grew in influence and power. Russia was still distant and aggressive, but America was growing friendlier, and trade between it and the Community picked up again.

Rise of Asia
In Asia, the Great East Asian War raged in China. As the world was at the time quite isolationalist, and the Great War still all-too fresh in everyone's minds, Europe did nothing to intervene, and moved to prevent Russia from doing so.

However, when Japan invaded what was at the time French Indochina and the British Territory of Burma, the two colonial nations entered the war in support of Thailand and China. Britian brought the rest of the British Commonwealth into the war, more then doubling the fighting force of the Allies. Facing this force, Japan was forced to back down.

However, the two Asian superpowers created by the war, the South Asian Union and the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, where stiff competition for the Community. Each possesed an abundance of natural resources, and was more then willing to trade with the rest of the world. Competition between these three major allliances arose. The SAU and the GEACPS went into a cold war, however, something the Community encouraged.

End of the Colonial Era
The Community's colonies around the world, specifically Africa, now demanded their attention. These would-be-countries, supported by the United States, wanted their independance. The Community was forced to comply. If they lost America, they would fall behind the Asians in the race to dominate the global market. Also, Russia was still a threat.

However, these states where cronically unstable, often lapsing into dictatorship and civil war. Poverty was rife, although to be fair this was a result of colonial exploitation. Europe and America where forced into many peacekeeping wars, something that drained their resources. The biggest success story of these efforts was South Africa, which eventually grew out of it's Apartheid policies and became a prosperous member of the British Commonwealth.