Map Contest

This is the official page for the Map Contest. The corresponding blog post can be found here.

Rules/Instructions
See: Rules (Map Contest)

General Announcements
Since I have gotten no rebuttals to my adoption, I have received permission from LG to adopt the Map Contest. Yay! ~ Upvoteanthology

News
April 6th, 2015: The Map Contest will be starting again under new management.

April 9th, 2015: Due to Cour's return to Chat, I have been alerted that he's not gone for good. However, he has given me permission to run the map contest, since he doesn't have the time to.

April 20th, 2015: The next contest will be the Election Map contest, and you may begin preparing maps now if you please. However, the entry section will not go up until next Monday.

April 20th, 2015: Voting has been opened for "One Big Wank".

April 28th, 2015: The Modern Election contest has been opened.

May 11th, 2015: Voting has been opened for "Modern Election". It is at the bottom of the page.

May 11th, 2015: My Favorite pastime contest has been opened.

Moderators

 * Upvoteanthology (Technical Owner, Co-Mod with Cour)
 * CourageousLife (Original Owner, Co-Mod)

Archives

 * King of the Hill Archive
 * The House of Habsburg Archive
 * An Unlikely Union Archive
 * Our Southern Neighbor Archive
 * Principia Moderni II Crossover Archive
 * Ancient Empires Archive
 * We Shall Do This For Mother Russia! Archive
 * Pink Stars Are Falling In Lines Archive
 * Pax Americana Archive
 * Day of Infamy Archive
 * Nova Roma Archive
 * The End of the World As We Know It Archive
 * By Odin's Beard Archive
 * Quetzalcoatl Archive
 * Across the Pond Archive
 * Terra Nova Archive
 * Russian Summer Archive
 * Exile or Death Archive
 * Jigsaw Archive
 * The Wall Archive
 * The Little Guy Archive
 * The Imperial West Archive

Participants
If you are going to make a map for the current contest, please write your name in the area below. It will be reset every contest in order to see who is participating. Note: This is not mandatory, but it is encouraged.
 * Upvote_User_Flag_New.png  April showers,   bring May flowers. Egypt Flag Final 2.png


 * .....  Because I'm Just... Too... SSSWWWEEEEEETTT!!!
 * Dreamcaster1
 * -Seiga
 * —Bfoxius (talk)
 * Fallacyman (talk)
 * Fallacyman (talk)

Complaints


= Contests =

Contest 25: My Favorite Pastime (Monday, May 11th - Monday, May 25)

 * Make a country form sooner (or later) than OTL.
 * It could have a different government than OTL, but must take up the role of the OTL nation (ex. United Kingdom of America).

House of Stewart, Kings of America (Upvoteanthology)
The PoD is in the late-1500's, when the Roanoke colony survives and thrives. The English colonies become much more successful in the south, but leaves New England less settled (this leads to a lack of conflict with New Netherland). After the Stewart defeat in the British Civil War, they decided to flee to Plymouth, and attempted to unite the other formerly English colonies under their crown. However, after a failed invasion of New Netherland and counter invasion of England, much of the House of Stewart was exiled to Louisiana. The loyalist revolt that followed was put down by the "American Founding Organization", who wrote up a new constitution for the newly-independent "United States of America". The USA won its independence from English Monarchy in 1676, but wasn't strong enough to achieve anything large.

The loss of these colonies caused the British Commonwealth to lose the Seven Years' War, and the French kept and strengthened their colonies. New Netherland survived, due to good relations with England after they helped take out the Stewarts. While the USA managed to stay independent, it went under brief monarchist rule in the late-1700's, after England took the US in a violent war. This didn't last, however, and America threw off its chains again. New Sweden voluntarily joined the US in 1816, afraid that New Netherland would attack it soon enough. It had frequent spouts with Louisiana (it gained independence from France in 1846) over East Mississippi (OTL Indiana), but managed to keep good relations in the 20th century. It never came close to a world power, but has been in negotiations to merge with New England (they also want Hudson, but they aren't ready for a full-scale invasion of that nation just yet).

A Rejected Bride (LightningLynx89)
A Bride's Tears, and A Quick Turn Around

In 1858 the next heir to The Kingdom of Prussia, a 27-year old Frederick III, rejects the marriage proposal from the British Princess Victoria. With a broken heart and spiteful intent toward the Prussians wanting to formally create their proud German Empire, Queen Victoria begins to influence the Danish Kingdom's ruler Alexandra. When it came time for the Prussians to make their move on German lands currently under the control of the Danes. When the Prussians invaded they were surprised to be met by both combined Danish and British forces. The war ended in a matter of months the Prussians were forced to surrender and meet the British terms. The terms were quite strange and forced a marriage between Fredrick III and the woman he rejected, Princess Victoria. A strange request, but it would all fall under Britain's plan. As Bismarck was forced out by the nobility and high politicians for being beaten by the British and Danish, and saw this as their best chance to salvage their current situation. With Frederick III on the throne and with a great power, the now much more liberal politicians in power, and the now crowned Queen Victoria by her husband's side, the Prussians became one of Great Britain's closest allies.

With Prussia claiming more and more land in Central Europe and an alliance formed with the British Empire in 1870, scared other European powers. Eventually the North German Empire was formed near the end of Frederick III's reign, those southern German kingdoms would remain under the protection of Austria until a vast and terrible war consumed Europe.

A Fierce War, and the Repercussions

A strong European alliance was formed from the foundation of the Anglo-German alliance, the Quadruple Alliance (QA). An alliance formed between the British Empire, North German Empire, Kingdom of Italy, and the Ottoman Empire; with an associated alliance with the Britain of Asia, the Empire of Japan. Meanwhile opposite to the Quadruple Alliance was the Continental Alliance; Led by the French, Russians, and Austro-Hungarians. With a closely associated Chinese State to counter the QA's Japan. Eventually war broke out between the two sides. A long 8 year bloody war, even dragging the now powerful USA onto the side of the QA thankfully, alleviating pressure on Germany and Italy; as both nations were sandwiched by the combined might of the Austro-Hungarians, French, and Russians. Thank god that a majority of the Continental Alliances generals were incompetent and the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire into much smaller more nationalistic states.

Three Desires -Seiga


In this timeline, shortly after the First Opium War against the British, the Qing Dynasty decides to start industrialising to try and prevent another major incident. By the 1890s, China managed to fare decent against Japan, and though they lost Korea from their sphere of influence, they were able to keep Taiwan. Along with being stronger, the Chinese were able to remain more unified and resisted against any further European influence. The monarchy of the Qing managed to last slightly longer than OTL, though by 1916 the Qing Dynasty was dissolved and replaced by the Republic of China. The transition was more peaceful than OTL, and China managed to avoid falling into civil war. While there was a communist rebellion, they were quickly crushed by 1929.

In the 1930s when Japan attempted to invade, the Chinese managed to fight back even more strongly and better than ever before, and by 1940 Japan decided to sue for peace and withdraw from the war. After war ended in Europe, the Republic of China and the Empire of Japan went to align with the US and its allies against the Soviet Union and their allies. With this, communism was not able to gain a foothold in South East Asia and North Vietnam became crushed by South Vietnam.

After the Cold War, the Republic of China continues to have a growing economy and soon surpassed Japan as the second largest economy in 2012. It is predicted to become the world's largest economy as early as 2020.

The main characters of the Touhou Project are Seiga Kaku and Toyosatomimi no Miko.

2 Stronk 2 Ludicrous (Scraw)
In 937, Æthelstan is killed by a stray arrow at Brunanburh. Soon after his death, the sons of Edward the Elder begin fighting each other for the title King of the Anglo-Saxons. These struggles, combined with Danish attackers results in a disunified England. A situation similar to the Heptarchy soons arises in Britain and it remains an island of chaos for centuries. In 1066, the leader of the Normans, William (the Conqueror in OTL) crosses the Channel and invades Wessex. His lands later evolve into the Kingdom of Wessex and Normandy. William's successors conquer the Kingdoms of Essex and Kent and East Anglia but find themselves constantly at war with Mercia. In the 1300s, Normandy allies with Northumberland against Mercia after the Normans back the Percys for Kings of Northumberland. They expand rapidly into Mercia, but Norman expansion is halted by a succession crisis. After the death of Richard II of Normandy, several claimants to the throne arise. One is Henry IV of Northumberland, descended from Lionel of Antwerp, second son of Edward III of Normandy. Another is his cousin, Richard of York and a duke in Northumberland. The last claimant is Henry of Kent (OTL Henry IV), cousin to Richard II. Initially, Richard of York supports Henry of Northumberland in the campaign into Norman Mercia. After the Percy victory, the Somersets flee across the channel into Normandy. Henry of Northumberland names himself King of the English. Backed by the King of France, Henry of Kent returns and takes back control of southern England. Henry I dies and is succeeded by his son Henry, but he is weak and ineffective. Henry of Kent brings Wales into the conflict through his Tudor cousins. Edward of York, son of Richard, betrays Henry II Percy and names himself king. Fighting continues for a number of years until the Kents are exiled to France and the Yorks become the kings. However, the Kingdom of the English is thrown to war again after he dies. His brother Edmund accuses Edward's children of being unable to rule due to Edward's marriage being invalid. His other brother George declares himself king for the sake of being the king. George defeats Edmund at Malmesbury, but their other brother Richard (Richard III) takes up Edmund's claim and tries to overthrow George. However, before he can act, the Kents return from exile in France and seize Normandy before moving on England and killing George at Kingston. The new Henry III Kent faces opposition from York loyalists and even those who support the Percys. Henry III dies and is succeeded by his son Edward III. Edward III eliminates the Yorkist claimant, Edward Plantagenet (son of George I). However, Edward III fails to hold the throne and is replaced by Henry IV Percy.

United Sagamore of America (Fallacy)
The PoD is in the late 15th century, when the Huron joins the Iroquois Confederacy (Haudenosaunee). The Haudenosaunee Confederacy, with full control over the Great Lakes region, arguably one of the most prosperous American region in Pre-Columbian America, was able to exert influence towards North Eastern America. In the following 16th century, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy was able to defeat and capitulate the Algonquian tribes, expanding its influence and territory to the Northeast American Coast, Ohio and Potomac rivers, the Ottawa and St Lawrence River and White Mountains. However, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy still existed as a loose Confederation of Tribes. The centralization of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy occurred after the beginning of minor European colonization. The spread of smallpox to the Americas greatly decreased the population of the Confederacy, forcing them to band even closer together.

In the 17th century, as European colonization of North America began, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, now much more centralized than OTL, began reforming their government with the model of Holland and England, who has established colonies in Nieuwe Friesland (OTL Nova Scotia) and Newfoundland, respectively. Moreover, England began colonizing Virginia and established trade and other connections with the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Despite English interests in attacking the Confederacy, they refrained due to European interests and wars.

In response to the European arrival, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy established a unique form of government, where the head of the Confederacy is elected from the chiefs of each tribe by all Haudenosaunee citizen past the age of 16 and their coming of age rites. The chief in turn was elected in an inter-tribal election. The Haudenosaunee Confederacy begin to adopt Western technology, trading guns, glass beads and other foreign products for animal skins. With the beginning of contact and trade with the Europeans, and the import of metal weapons and tools, the demand for metal objects increased. Thus, a new profession began to grow in the League society: metalworking.

As the first chief of the reformed Confederacy, now named the Haudenosaunee League, Sa No Wa Keath decided, after witnessing a devastating colonial conflict in his childhood, decided that the European colonizers would become a threat to the League. He decided that Western technology, weaponry and society must be adopted to expand the strength of the League. Under his appointment, a council of elders created the written Haudenosaunee language, similar to the Cherokee language in OTL. Meanwhile, European gunsmiths and metalworkers were hired from the colonies. Despite many failures, some efforts succeeded and the most notable one being the League's employment of the gunsmith Anthony Bowen from a British colony in Virginia. Bowen went on to become one of the most celebrated figure in Haudenosaunee history. Under Bowen and the many metalworker's training and teachings, the Haudesaunee metalworkers experienced a rapid technological advancement. In just 15 years, mining operations, especially for the rich copper and iron mines in the Great Lakes Area (Lake Ontario, Erie, Huron, Michigan, Superior is called Lake Onondaga, Erie (absorbed in 1498), Huron, Ottawa (conquered by the Huron-Wyandot), Mamaceqtaw (absorbed in 1524) in this TL). Metal tools, such as bow and arrow, hammers, chisels, shovels and farming equipment, such as scythes and hoes also started to become much more common. These farming equipment also made sustenance farming possible, and led to a population boom. In 1624, the Haudenosaunee League attacked the territory east and north to it (OTL Illinois, Ontario and Great Lakes Region).

With a centralized military, the League crushed the native tribes in OTL Illinois, Indiana, Great Lakes Region and Delaware, as well as the Ojibwe. The League also attacked the Cree tribes of Moose Cree and Eastern Cree for their fur hunting grounds. Despite the tribes of these regions forming a league, they were not able to defend themselves against the Haudenosaunee. The most decisive engagement came when 3000 Haudenosaunee men were attacked by 10,000 enemy forces. The Haudenosaunee use metal weapons and the first use of firearms by Native Americans (only ten arquebuses, mostly for shock purpose) managed to overcome their numerical disadvantage and overwhelm the enemy. After breaking the enemy's center, they routed and the Haudenosaunee pursued, slaughtering most of the other tribes. At the end of the war, the Haudenosaunee League has expanded greatly in size and now includes 27 tribes, including the Shawnee (absorbed in 1567), Mamaceqtaw (absorbed in 1524), Erie (absorbed in 1498), Potawatomi (absorbed in 1513), Powhatan (absorbed in 1624), Ojibwe (absorbed in 1628) tribes.

Meanwhile in Europe, rather than colonizing Boston, England intensified their efforts in colonizing OTL Virginia and Georgia. The settlements of Norfolk, Savannah and Charleston were constructed and Norfolk, in particular, thanks to its large natural harbor, became the center of English Colonization in OTL Southern USA. The English colonial divisions were also set up, with Virginia, Carolinas and Olivia (Named after Oliver Cromwell). The Dutch Republic began expanding its colony in Nieuwe Friesland into OTL New Brunswick, which was named Nieuwe Flevoland. The proximity of Dutch colonies and Newfoundland led to a start of trade conflicts, which would later exacerbate into the first Anglo-Dutch War. France, on the other hand, was concentrated on expansion efforts in Quebec. In the early 17th Century, France established several forts down the St Lawrence River, but stopped when they encountered the Haudenosaunee. However, this began exacerbating French and League tensions.

Contest 24: Modern Election (Monday, April 27th - Monday, May 11th)

 * Create an electoral map of any country after the results of an election are released. This election can be a general election (president, prime minister) or a congressional/parliamentary mid-term election.
 * You may use any country you want, so if you want to draw up a map of alternate Turkey, Afghanistan or Mexico, that's perfectly fine.
 * The only provision is that it has to be modern - preferably in the 2005 - 2015 range, but I'd also think it'd be very interesting to depict maps as far back as 1945.

Of Alternate Government and Elections-LightningLynx89
Basically the US adopted a parliament early into their constitution as it was what people were most familiar with, and our story goes from there.

Deadlock (Scraw)
For the 2008 presidential election, John McCain selects Tim Pawlenty as his running mate and also campaigns more extensively in certain states. McCain wins more states than he did in OTL, especially ones where Barack Obama's margin of victory was incredibly low. This results in the Electoral College votes being split 269-269 between Obama and McCain. The election is thrown to Congress, but a President is not selected in time for Inauguration Day. However, the Democratic majority Senate chooses Joe Biden as the Vice President, and he becomes the acting President until a president is selected. After multiple rounds of voting, the House of Representatives chooses Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. However, the entire election proves the many flaws in the Electoral College system, so America starts down the path of ending it and bringing about a new system of electing officials.

Spring Lane ~ Colourful Elections -Seiga


In an alternate 2012 elections, held on December 16th, the had managed to win another successful election, and saw the further decline of the Liberal Democratic Party-Komeito coalition; and Yoshihiko Noda from the DPJ remained Prime Minister. The Liberal Democratic Party in this timeline was somewhat similar to OTL's up until the early 1990s when the corruption scandals by the Liberal Democrats was even worse from OTL, and saw a major decline in members. In the 1996 elections, Ichirō Ozawa of the New Frontier Party had won and became the next Prime Minister.

In the Japanese general election of 2005, the Liberal Democrats made a brief comeback and Shinzō Abe managed to become Prime Minister after narrowly defeating Katsuya Okada of the Democratic Party. However, new controversies had arose during Abe's term in office and after another scandal, Abe resigned in 2008. In the 2009 elections, the Democratic Party managed to come back into power again, and managed to achieve better results than OTL, and successfully implemented several of its proposed policies, and also formed a coalition with the Japanese Communist Party.

As of 2014, the current Prime Minister of Japan is Banri Kaieda from the Democratic Party after Yoshihiko Noda resigned due to the term limits of the Presidency of the Democratic Party.

Blues vs Greens (TechnicallyIAmSean)
Quick guide to the colors: more to come
 * Blue: PVV
 * Green: CDA
 * Orange: VVD
 * Red: PVDA
 * Purple: NCP
 * Light Blue: CU
 * Pink: SGP

Instability on the Shores of Northland (CookieDamage)
So I was definitely inspired by Lynx's slideshow. I thought it was a great idea, so I may or may not have copied it for my own submission; 3. Kudos to Lynx.

Anyways, I developed a mental back story for this little country called Northland.

'''We begin in 1982. '''In my mind, Northland is a pretty powerful country, but nowhere near projecting the amount of political, military, and cultural power the OTL U.S. does today. Basically, Northland is akin, influence wise, to countries like Sweden, Denmark, perhaps the Baltic, and maybe more well-to-do South American nations like Argentina and Chile. In essence, Northland is American-cultured, but a regional power. The country is a mix between a parliamentary and U.S.-like government, and is led by a President. An Assembly is the bicameral legislature of the country, with a House of Representatives and Senate representing the lower and upper house, respectively.

So, in 1982, we have the leftist Northstar Progressives competing with the right-wing Conservatives in the Federal Elections. The battle is fierce in places like Virginia, Florida, East Florida, and Delmarva. However, in the west, such politics are ignored as Cheryl Miller-led nationalists in Texas and Mexico become increasingly popular. In the Yucatán, Puerto Rico and western Cuba, the Caribbean Liberals achieve victory on their platform of closer integration with Northland, social liberalism, and economic sustainability.

Taking key northern states and urban centers, the Northstar Progressives, led by Trevor L. Waits, won in 1982 as the Conservatives were left fruitlessly competing with nationalists and liberals.

From 1982 - 1986, Waits embarked on several domestic reforms, aimed at revitalizing cities in Virginia, New Coventry, South Carolina, and Cuba following the 1970s Recession. Finding initial success, Waits was unfortunately met with opposition in the Assembly in 1985 as the economy began stagnating. The President then turned his attention toward diplomacy and foreign affairs, brokering good relations with North Columbia, England, France, and Brazil, while attempting to placate nationalists in Texas and Mexico.

The 1986 elections then arrived. Despite his rocky urban revitalization initiative, Waits secured the Presidency as the Conservatives suffered under ideological splits and a lackluster campaign. During his campaign, President Waits promised greater integration with Texas, Mexico, Cuba, and Puerto Rico, and further introduced plans at greater territorial expansion in the west, claiming that he reached deals with the leadership of the Ohio Valley concerning the purchase of several regions from the failed, poverty-stricken country.

However, Texas Nationals, still led by the fiery Cheryl Miller, totally rejected Waits' plans, fearing that federal tyranny would rob the country of independence and take control of Texan oil fields. In late 1986, weeks after the election, Cheryl Miller convened the Texas State Assembly and convinced them to declare independence. The Mexican assembly followed soon after, and by January of 1987, two of the country's most prized western states were gone.

War was declared by President Waits on January 16, 1987, and forces were immediately mobilized. Initially, Waits enjoyed high popularity and was applauded for defending his country and vowing to take back rebellious territory. However, the situation soon changed. From January to June, 240,000 young men and women were killed in an incredibly brutal war that spanned the borders of Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Kentucky. Texan armies fought passionately for their homeland and pushed even harder into Northland territory. Aided by Mexican patriots, the Texans routed Northlander armies at nearly every turn and every battle. By July, the Northland Army was entirely demoralized. The only true successes came with the Navy. Composed of the New Coventry, Cuban, and Floridian fleets, the sea forces were able to enforce a successful blockade of the Texan and Mexican coasts. Although trade and transportation was unfettered for the two rebellious states, the blockade prevented any devastating Texan attacks on cities such as Havana, San Juan, Miami, Washington, or New York. The Texans, instead, got their supplies and support from the neighboring country of California.

The situation was soon realized to be futile as the states of the Yucatán voted to stay out of the war. While still remaining loyal to the Federation, Yucatán caved into exterior pressure as Mexican armies threatened to raze the country and then annex it. In response to this, Waits placed Yucatán under martial law and sent a force of 190,000 to march north to Mexico. The campaign, in short, was a total disaster, claiming 100,000 lives by mid-September.

'''Convinced that Waits was doing a terrible job, the Federal Assembly convened in October of 1987 for special elections. '''Promising to fight harder and strategize smarter, Conservative leader and former North Carolina Governor Max Hoover wooed the hearts and ears and nearly everyone in the country. President Waits was butchered on the campaign trail, and only took the loyal states of Delmarva and New Coventry.

Hoover won the election, and immediately scaled down the number of troops in 1988, but continued to fight the war. By mid-year, it was clear that Northland was losing the war, and both rebellious states were inevitably going to go independent. As a last ditch effort, Hoover initiated a scorched earth policy, sending several armies into Texan territory to raze cities and destroy the numerous oil fields that made Texas rich. Mexico was largely ignored as a resurgent Yucatán, freed from military rule, trampled over the southern reaches of the country. By 1989, Max Hoover appealed to the Assembly for an end to the war. Texas and Mexico would remain independent, but only if they pay Northland a series of heavy, expensive concessions for the next fifteen years. The two countries were incredibly devastated, and the Assembly felt a vindictive, vengeful justification when they voted to release Texas and Mexico but only if the two became virtual tributary states.

'''1990 dawned as Max Hoover enjoyed extreme popularity in nearly ever corner of the country. '''Delmarva Senator Carl Pearson replaced a disgraced Trevor Waits as Northstar Progressive leader, and still was only able to take the leftist states of New Coventry and Delmarva. Hoover on the other hand, snagged every other state and took the conservative portions of eastern Cuba. Filling the liberal gap in Florida, Caribbean Liberals made advances as well.

Hoover's first full term was marked by economic expansion following stagnation and small recession in the 1980s. For the first time since the late 1960s, in fact, did the economy do so well. Championing a balanced budget, with a "responsible governmental" role in economic regulation, where only the most basic of economic regulation was enacted, Hoover maintained his popularity. Still sapping concessions from Texas, Hoover drifted leftward when it came to immigration and refugees in the country. As thousands of impoverished Texans poured into the country, the Assembly enacted a series of reforms, allowing for greater paths to citizenship for those they saw as "oppressed countrymen".

Internationally, Hoover abandoned Waits calls for Ohio annexation, stating that "Territorial expansion is the last thing we need right now". Instead, beginning in 1992, Hoover helped create several state-level programs aimed at modernizing the coal industry in Kentucky and western Virginia, as well as rebuilding the destroyed railways after they were devastated by Texan forces in 1987. In the southern states, especially Georgia and South Carolina, Hoover and the Assembly went left once more as they began subsidizing several solar, nuclear, and biothermal power companies, in turn giving life to the growing green power economic bloc in the region.

Because of his attention to power and energy, Hoover became known as the "Energizer President" in his 1994 federal campaign.

However, cracks began showing in the financial world in 1992. Most notably was the Ashbrook-Kowalski Scandal in November of that year. Ashbrook-Kowalksi Solutions, one of the largest energy companies in Northland, was immersed in corporate turmoil after it was revealed that several of the company's top members were engaged in insider trading, corporate espionage, and tax evasion. News broke in 1992, but mysteriously went quiet in December after CEO Janet Milton resigned. Being the only person who resigned, national press remained extremely skeptical, and further probed the issue. The situation exploded in May of 1993 when it was found out that several Ashbrook-Kowalski board members bribed government inspectors, lawyers, and judges in order to keep the case shutdown.

Max Hoover, familiar with the company due to his initiatives with green power, immediately condemned the company. Despite his condemnation, his popularity fell sharply as Ashbrook-Kowalski was being torn apart in federal court. By mid-year, the company was liquefied as nearly 90,000 people in Georgia and Florida, as well as Virginia and Delmarva lost their jobs.

Madeline Florence, a political strategist and Northstar Progressive as well as former attorney general for Virginia, led the crusade against Ashbrook-Kowalski in 1993, and it essentially made her career. As Carl Pearson retired from public life that year and later died, Florence was primed to become the next party leader. That year, her party overwhelmingly voted her as their new leader and championed her as the one who would bring a corrupt Max Hoover down.

'''The 1994 elections did not bring Hoover down, but it strongly mitigated his previously impervious popularity. '''Delmarva went solidly for Madeline Florence, who promised to repair the country after Ashbrook-Kowalski's collapse. A large minority of voters went Progressive as well. In Florida and East Florida, also reeling from the collapse, went for Caribbean Liberal candidate Miguel Sheridan.

Florence also attempted to woo Georgia voters on the same issue, promising that as a dark-horse candidate unburdened by political incompetence and vitriol, she would give thousands of jobs back to all workers crushed by the Ashbrook-Kowalski collapse.

Despite her tireless campaigning, voters were still distrustful of Progressives after their failures in the Texan War of 1987. People still adored Max Hoover. A 1994 court case ruled that President Hoover had no connection with Ashbrook-Kowalski, and this ruling won him the election.

Focusing more on the coal industry than his first term, Hoover created the Department of Coal and Industry in 1995 to better oversee industrial efforts in Kentucky and Virginia. As the local state economies boomed in those states, national economy dipped as inflation rose coupled with unemployment. A few brief recessions occurred over the next few years as Hoover's popularity slowly dropped.

In 1996, Max Hoover launched another economic program, this time favoring the most minimal of government regulation in the economy. Reducing the powers of the Departments of Consumer Protection and Commerce, Hoover courted the votes and influence of the richest New York, New Coventry, and Virginia businesses. He promised an age of "free market heaven", as he geared up for a possible third campaign.

His fortunes soon faded as his stagnating popularity turned to blatant unpopularity. Another company, this time New York's AltoTech, was found to be embezzling funds for a possible future Hoover campaign. AltoTech was rocked in another court case that gutted the business leadership of the corporation and resulted in another string of job losses. Max Hoover could not recover from this scandal, and in late 1996, announced he would not run for a third term.

During the AltoTech scandal, political leaders like Madeline Florence mobilized in order to have a shot at winning the 1998 elections. Finding common ground with Miguel Sheridan and the rest of the Caribbean Liberals, Florence merged the two parties together in 1996.

The new Progressive-Liberals, as they begun to be known as, campaigned vigorously in the country in 1997 and 1998. They cited Hoover business-failures such as the recent AltoTech scandal as well as the Ashbrook-Kowalski collapse. Florence also lambasted the Hoover administration for overly-harsh measures on Texas and Mexico, and a complete abandonment of Yucatán, as well as important foreign issues.

The Conservatives were in no match to go against Florence, themselves reeling as their once-idol Max Hoover was marred by two major scandals. Hoover was now regarded as financially corrupt industrialist. Instead, focusing on a socially-right wing, economic moderate, they chose Ben Kuzacha as their candidate. Kuzacha, a Mississippi native, campaigned on the basis of "Conservative Renewal" and increased involvement in foreign relations, especially concerning Texas, Mexico, and the Ohio Valley Republic.

In Louisiana, the Catholic Party rose, led by Dennis McDaid. McDaid gave Louisianians a far-right candidate they wanted out of Hoover and Kuzacha, but failed to receive. McDaid only achieved popularity in Louisiana and parts of Mississippi, but never-the-less became a popular figure with his platform vowing to fight against immorality, liberal onslaughts, and "godless politics".

As expected, Madeline Florence won the election, snagging the Caribbean, the Yucatán, all Northern states plus North Carolina, as well as both Floridas. The Conservatives remained strong in the South and in Kentucky, where Hoover's Coal programs were continually feeding a healthy economy.

Along with electing the first left-wing candidate since 1986, and the first woman president ever, the Assembly also elected a diverse range of politicians, notably including a large Progressive-Liberal majority. The first bill passed by the new Assembly session was the creation of a Department of the Caribbean and Yucatán. The bill passed through both Assembly houses and landed on President Florence's desk on February 16, 1999. The Department creation solidified Florence's support in the Caribbean, where her mission became to bring Caribbean business and culture to mainland Northland and vice versa. The Department also oversaw commerce, industrialization, health, and education in the region as well.

Yucatecos were much less enthusiastic about the bill. While remaining loyal, many on the peninsula saw the new Department as too nosy and intervening. Furthermore, the merger of the Caribbean Liberals left a power vacuum in Yucatán, where many longed for another local, leftist group to arise. Founded in 1998, the Reform Party of Yucatán accomplished that mission. Founded by those skeptical of Madeline Florence, the party gained significant popularity in the peninsula. Party founder Lucia Menendez Garcia became a household name. In 2001, speaking at a local convention, future party leader Bernardo Ramirez questioned Progressive actions, including the creation of the Yucatán Department. "Do they not trust us? Why is the question of our loyalty always brought up? ... Yucatecos are Northlanders, and Northlanders are Yucatecos." He reasoned, affirming Yucatán loyalty while voicing the concerns many Yucatecos had after the Progressive-Liberal insurgence in 1998.

On the mainland, President Florence put a cap on coal industrial expansion in Kentucky while convincing the Assembly to transform the Department of Industry into the Department of Western Development, aimed at reducing the importance of coal and instead focusing on health, education, agriculture, and biotechnology. The Department came into effect on the first day of 2001, and gave Florence the reputation of "Department Queen".

In terms of foreign relations, Madeline Florence, and her diplomatic advisor Tim Fleece, courted the leaders of the poverty-stricken Ohio Valley, hoping to purchase the region of Ohio. No deal was made however, and slightly tarnished Florence's foreign relations credibility. Florence did find achievements in dealing with Texas and Mexico however. She ended concession payments while simultaneously encouraging emigration from the still-devastated countries. Across the continent, Florence attempted to foster positive relations with California, but fell short of any meaningful advancements as the Pacific-coast country was still raw over the 1987 Texan War.

Domestically, President Florence launched a child-poverty bill in 2000, attempting to alleviate the stresses of children in Louisiana and Mississippi while also trying to weaken the grasp the Catholic Party had on the states. Introducing a bill that year, Florence appeared to be making progress, only before the bill was gutted in Congress and barely a skeleton of her original vision made it into law. The Catholic Party thus remained strong in the southwest.

'''Despite her varying failures and successes as President, Madeline Florence remained very popular and was able to win the 2002 election. '''Championing her status as "Department Queen" and anti-poverty advocate, Florence won traditionally Conservative states like Kentucky, South Carolina, and eastern Cuba.

Conservatives attacked her a despot and someone who has done nothing but abused presidential power and launch failed programs. The Conservatives quickly made Tennessee Governor Leslie Shearman as their party leader and candidate. Unfortunately, Shearman could not charm audiences like Florence could, and only won core Conservative states such as Georgia, Alabama, and his home state of Tennessee.

Apart of the Conservative loss was the continually strength of Dennis McDaid's Catholic Party. Expected to die out before 2000, McDaid took his home state of Louisiana, and captured Mississippi and Puerto Rico as well. In the South, Conservatives and Catholics engendered a very strong mutual hostility and inadvertently gave the victory to the Progressive-Liberals.

In Yucatán, the Reform Party won the entire peninsula under the fiery activity of Lucia Garcia, but a long collapse began at this time as well. Lackluster campaigning in Cuba as well as the lack of passion among grassroots organizers gave the Reform Party a sour reputation.

After winning her second-term, Florence turned once more toward Ohio. The Ohio Valley Republic had recently come out of a two year civil war, in which the previously nativist, isolationist government was forcefully replaced by a pragmatic, centrist one. Sending Tim Fleece to the country, President Florence attempted to once more buy Ohio off from the destabilized country. The OVR, facing another civil war and economic collapse, sold Ohio to Northland in June of 2003. The sale became a huge success for Florence and immediately opened up the once impoverished region to settlement, renewal, and development.

Since the Ohio region was under the eye of the Department of Western Development, several agricultural and industrial companies were subsidized, and the coal industry continued to flourish even under restriction and regulation. "Department Queen" enjoyed significant popularity in the following years, even after she announced she would not be running for a third term in 2006.

Other than the Ohio Purchase in 2003, Florence's second term remained relatively quiet. The Catholic and Reform Parties struggled as many began retreating back under the wing of establishment parties. In fact, the retreat was so strong that the Catholic Party collapsed in 2004 and the Reform Party was disbanded shortly after the 2006 elections.

'''The 2006 elections thus proved to be very interesting. '''With Madeline Florence retiring, the Progressive-Liberals chose House Majority Leader Amanda Sheridan, daughter of Caribbean Liberal Miguel Sheridan, as their party leader and Presidential candidate. The Conservatives chose former Lieutenant and Texan War veteran Michael Palnick as party leader.

Promising to halt territorial expansion, remove bureaucratic complexity caused by Florence, and restore socially conservative values, Michael Palnick seemingly took the country by storm. His anti-department stance did not appeal to Kentuckians who benefited under the Department of Western Development, but it did appeal to Ohio residents, and he was able to take the state.

Due to the collapse of the Catholic Party and assassination of Dennis McDaid by the hands of left-wing extremists, Palnick took Louisiana and Mississippi as well. He blamed the death of McDaid on "Liberal scheming" and was able to earn southwestern votes on his platform of social conservatism and economic austerity. Further winning previously liberal states like Delmarva and New Coventry, Palnick was more poised to win the election.

The Progressive-Liberals, on the other hand, were only aided by Amanda Sheridan's energized demeanor and star-studded running mates like former diplomat Tim Fleece. The loss of Ohio, Delmarva, and New Coventry were devastating to the Progressive-Liberals, despite their balanced platform of social centrism, economic hands-off, and limited territorial expansion.

The Reform Party once more won Yucatán, but was marred by a series of scandals, unpopularity and lack of campaign funds. Party leaders Bernardo Ramirez and Filippa Georgio would disband the party in 2007.

Because of the lack of Catholic competition and the obtaining of states like Ohio, Delmarva, New Coventry, and eastern Cuba, Palnick won the 2006 election and became the President of Northland.

Initially being wary of expansion, Palnick gave into Assembly pressures in 2007 to purchase more lands from the quickly dismantling Ohio Valley in 2007. Yet another Civil War struck the country later that year, causing a nationalist government unwilling to sell territory come into power. The Northlander government was then struck with a brick wall.

However, the Ohio Civil War brought more changes, and in 2008 a moderate government in control of several stump states agreed to sell Michigan to Northland, only on the condition that it be annexed into Ohio state. Palnick agreed, and his diplomacy convinced the Ohio Valley leadership to sell him the Indiana and Missouri territories in 2009.

Palnick then turned to domestic issues. He defunded the Department of Western Development and gave renewed impetus to the coal industries in Kentucky, as well as the lumber and agricultural industries in Ohio. On the east coast, the President continually courted the rare conservatives in places like New York City, New Coventry, and Washington, as well as Delmarva and Maryland.

After Michigan was annexed into Ohio, Palnick began visiting there frequently while encouraging business leaders to set up shop in the northern parts of the country. Urban renewal projects for places like Detroit and Toronto, eagerly embraced by Progressive-Liberals, were shunned by Palnick.

'''Going in to 2010, Palnick was neither popular nor hated, and pundits called him the embodiment of modern conservative politics. '''Despite his apparent non-status, Palnick was able to hold onto New Coventry, Delmarva and Ohio, while capturing Kentucky, eastern Cuba, and southern Yucatán. The Progressives held onto core territory, as well as gaining parts of liberal Yucatán, western Cuba, and Puerto Rico. Also, for the first time in decades, only two parties competed in a federal election, whereas previously, three or four competitors was the norm.

President Palnick was a rock star on the campaign trail, while his Progressive opponent, former diplomat Tim Fleece was seen as weak, flabby and non-passionate.

Palnick won the election of 2010. However, this victory would be one of his last.

Beginning in 2011, large economic crisis began in the western states, especially Kentucky. Coal fields began turning up dry as more and more people lost their jobs. In turn, railways and various other western industries which relied on coal power, spiraled into collapse. By 2012, the recession spread to Michigan, by then a separate state from Ohio, and Tennessee. A second economic crisis began concurrently in New York as railway, coal, and industrial stocks crashed because of the crisis. Unemployment lept to 10% within months, and nearly 16% by year-end.

Many blamed Palnick for the crisis, stating that his de-regulation of the coal industry and defunding of the Western Development Department caused about the crash and depression. The crash soon became known as "Palnick's Coal Folly" and fanned distrust against Conservatives.

Even after receiving heavy criticism from the press, and after his advisors pressed him not to, Michael Palnick launched a third campaign on April 16, 2013, hoping to capture the presidency in 2014. His slogan was "I am sorry", and he appeared to be taking blame for the crash. Pundits immediately accused him of spinelessness. He toured around the country to half-empty auditoriums and a hostile public.

Progressive-Liberals once more elected Amanda Sheridan as leader and candidate. She herself campaigned round the clock, especially in hard hit areas in Kentucky, Ohio, and western Virginia.

Sheridan was not only able to win back Kentucky, but also New Coventry, Delmarva, southern Yucatán, and eastern Cuba. She was also able to win Louisiana (a first for Progressives in decades) as well as the recently admitted state of Indiana.

Filippa Georgio, former Reform Party bigwig, refounded the party as the New Reform Party and won states in Yucatán, Cuba, and Puerto Rico.

Poor Palnick won only Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Alabama.

Needless to say, Palnick lost in 2014 as the country had only just begun to stabilize economically.

'''It is now 2015, and Amanda Sheridan is President of Northland. '''Unemployment is at 11%, with the coal industry still on its head. The Department of Western Development now covers Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana. President Sheridan has once more regulated the coal industry and gave more focus to financial, commercial and agricultural advancements in the region. She enjoys a popularity of 65% nationwide as the territories of Missouri and Illinois are set to become states in 2016.

List of Presidents of Northland since 1982
 * Trevor L. Waits (1983-1988)(Northstar Progressive)
 * George Hoover (1988 - 1999)(Conservative)
 * Madeline Florence (1999 - 2007)(Progressive-Liberal)
 * Michael Palnick (2007 - 2015)(Conservative)
 * Amanda Sheridan (2015 - )(Progressive-Liberal)

Voting for "Modern Election"
Of Alternate Government and Elections-LightningLynx89 Deadlock (Scraw) Spring Lane ~ Colourful Elections -Seiga Blues vs Greens (TechnicallyIAmSean) Congress Party versus the Tory Party (Upvote) Instability on the Shores of Northland (CookieDamage) 03:11, May 11, 2015 (UTC)
 * Cookiedamage (talk)
 * .....  Because I'm Just... Too... SSSWWWEEEEEETTT!!!
 * Tr0llis (talk) 01:58, May 14, 2015 (UTC)
 * Upvote_User_Flag_New.png  April showers,   bring May flowers. Egypt Flag Final 2.png
 * Roman-spqr-flag.png Consul Ioshua  (Talk) SPQR_EMBLEM.jpg

Contest Suggestions

 * PMIII Crossover - An alternate history within an alternate history--an alternate history occurring within the PMIII map game. —Bfoxius (talk)
 * Last time we tried that, no one participated. Upvote_User_Flag_New.png  April showers,   bring May flowers. Egypt Flag Final 2.png
 * Yeah, seriously. ^^^. PMIII crossovers are not good ideas because A.) it's going to be hard to ponder and theorize how the rest of PM3 will go, and people will lose interest and B.) in-game rivalries and politics seep into the contest. Cookiedamage (talk) 18:46, April 6, 2015 (UTC)
 * War Map - Create a scenario for a war between two or more countries and include maps of territory changes, specific battles, major offensives, battle locations, etc.
 * Vatonica (talk) 02:09, April 8, 2015 (UTC)
 * -Daxus Inferno
 * Fallacyman (talk)
 * Prussian-Austrian War - Make a map of a post-Austrian victory at the Battle of Köngingratz, and how the world would butterfly after. Saturn120 12:35, April 10, 2015 (UTC)
 * I support this idea. Cookiedamage (talk)
 * Post WWII - Pick a POD happening from 1939-1945. Make a map of how the world would be different today, especially focusing on the cold war.
 * Long Lost Brothers - Select a minor power nation, select TWO PODs; one from the Antiquity and another from the past 100 years, wank that country to its greatest extent. -  .....   Because I'm Just... Too... SSSWWWEEEEEETTT!!!
 * Stuck in Traffic - After a chosen point in history, technology stops progressing with the aid of MTEs (Machines of Tolkien-esque Eternity) but nations keep fighting each other and invading shit. Basically make a map of the present day as it you think it might look if humanity stopped making technological advances.