Timeline 1700s (Easternized World)

1700s: Easternization and Industrialization


The 1700s was a time of rapid change. By then end of the century, the world was a completely different place than it was at the beginning of the century. By 1799, most of Europe and Yodderick were dominated by the "big three" Asian colonizers. Furthermore, early in the century, Srivijaya found a whole new continent, Gurun Selatan (Australia), previously unknown to the outside world.

The most major change in the 18th century was brought about by the Industrial Revolution. By the end of the century, machine-gun warfare, diesel locomotives, black-and-white photographs, and steel-framed and reinforced concrete buildings, among other inventions, were increasingly part of life in the civilized world.

Eastern colonialism at its Zenith
The second half of the 1600s saw Srivijaya establish control over central and southern Italy, and in the process, shattering Western Christianity (Roman Catholicism) into many (sometimes competing) factions. And, on top of that, Japan took control of the Netherlands, which it had previously agreed to protect from German aggression. This started a "Scramble for Europe" which saw Asian overlordship across most of the continent in subsequent decades.

Part of the reason why Japan didn't push in to the German Holy Roman Empire was the fact that a move such as that would put it directly into conflict with Chinese interests. After all, China had sway over Poland, and it didn't want a rival to come along and shake things up. Instead, Japan's aggression manifested itself in the "Invasion of England". In March 21st, 1701, the Japanese carried out a surprise attack on Southampton. The number of troops was modest, and this served mostly as a distraction so that much of the army would be away from London. It also served to destroy a major English port, thus severely limiting its naval ability. A few days later, a huge Japanese force sailed up the Thames River and attacked London. This imperial war was harder than the one in the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, the Japanese fought off the Germans and had a huge army already settled in the heart of Holland, whereas in England, they were seen as invaders from the get-go. Still, with the help of cutting-edge weaponry (such as the aforementioned hand-held revolvers and percussion caps), they were able to defeat a comparably large English military machine in the span of a few months. The monarch and many nobles and important figures of England fled to Scotland (and, to a lesser extent, Ireland) to regroup. Scotland and Ireland took these people in and got ready to support each other in the very likely event of a showdown with Japan. Perhaps it was the fact that the Japanese waited instead of immediately following the exiles and refugees, but when the Japanese finally attacked Scotland and Ireland in 1704, the people were ready, and the Japanese were never able to break through. Content for the time being with England and Wales, the Japanese settled down in the British Isles.