| United States of Central Europe Vereinigte Mitteleuropäische Staaten | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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||||||
 Location of the VMS
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| Capital | Vienna (1919-1938), Unueco (1938-1996) | |||||
| Official languages | German, Czech, Slovak, Polish, Hungarian, Slovene | |||||
| Regional languages | Kashubian, Silesian, Romani, Yiddish, others | |||||
| Religion | Atheism, Agnosticism, Protestantism, Catholicism, Judaism | |||||
| Demonym | Central European | |||||
| Government | Federal parliamentary republic | |||||
| Establishment | ||||||
| - | Establishment of the HRE | 800 | ||||
| - | German Confederation | 1815 | ||||
| - | World War 1 | 1914 | ||||
| - | VMS established | 1919 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| - | Total | 951,000 km2 367,183 sq mi |
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| Population | ||||||
| - | estimate | 72,342,100 (1936), 138,283,139 (1996) | ||||
| Currency | Krone | |||||
| Time zone | Central European time zone | |||||
The United States of Central Europe (German: VMS, or
Vereinigte Staaten von Mitteleuropa, Czech: Spojené Státy Strední Evropy), also called Central Europe or VMS is a country located in Europe. Since 1938, Unueco is the federal capital of the VMS. Covering 951.000 square kilometers, the U.S. of Central Europe lies between the North and the Baltic seas to the north, the Alps and the Mediterranean to the south and the Rhine to the west. The VMS borders (after 1946) the United States of Italy and Albania, the United States of England and France, the United Benelux States, Denmark-Iceland, the United Balkan States, the United Baltic and Finnish States and the United States of Eastern Europe. In 1952, a new country emerged in Central Easter Europe, the United States of Romania-Hungary, which also borders the VMS.
History[]
The beginnings[]
As mentioned earlier, the United States of Central Europe was formed as a Union between Czechoslovakia and Austria in 1919. The chancellor of Austria (Dr. Karl Renner, Social Democratic Party) and the prime minister of Czechoslovakia (Vlastimil Tusar, also the Social Democratic Party) sign the treaty of unification in Vienna, officially called the treaty of Vienna. Previously, a referendum was held in both countries. Many rulers of the world were present in the conference, including Woodrow Wilson, the president of the USA and George V, the king of England. Although England and France did not like the idea of this new state, the USA saw it as their personal puppet in Europe which would help them bring peace to the continent.
The flag of the newly formed country is designed shortly after the conference, and it includes the red-white-red tricolor motive of the Austrian republic and the blue triangle of Czechoslovakia. They also write an anthem for the country, “United Forever”, and their motto becomes “In unity lies our strength”. In a couple of months, the National Bank of the United States of Central Europe was established. The government (they held the elections a week after the foundation of the country, and the Social Democratic Party won) also reformed the constitution a little bit. The country focuses both on economy and culture. The National Museum of Central Europe is built in Vienna, but many factories are also built, especially in Slovakia. They mainly produce plastic, heavy machinery and luxury items. Small enterprises are also very important in the economy, and handmade items are sold to promote regional identity and attract tourists. In 1921, the VMS was already the fifth most developed and rich country in Europe.
The Hungaro-Bavarian war[]
For full article, see Hungaro-Bavarian War
Flag of the Bavarian Reich, designed by Adolf Hitler
In 1923, the Beer Hall Putsch happened in Munich, and the National-Socialists, together with a separatist secret organisation, took over Bavaria. The country was named the Reich of Bayern, and it was a one-party national-socialist military dictatorship. Its chancellor was Adolf Hitler. Two months later the fascist government of Hungary was overthrown by an even more radical fascist coup, which was heavily pro-Nazi. The country, now called the “National State of Hungary” increased its military budget and in June the second of 1924, Bavaria and Hungary surprise-attacked the United States of Central Europe. Britain and France, both tired after the Great War, did not want to fight, but instead granted the permission to the VMS. In the beginning, the Hungarians were victorious, because the VMS was focusing more on the Bavarians, but later the Weimar republic also got involved on Central Europe’s side, and the two of them could easily crush the fascist armies. The war ended with the bombing of the city Miskolc (in the second half of the war, the USA supplied the VMS with aircrafts) after which the peace treaty was signed in Szeged, Hungary, and after that, Central Europe and Germany were once allowed to have normal armies and remilitarise the Rhineland. Bavaria and Northern Hungary became annexed by the United States of Central Europe, and the rest of Hungary became an independent nation (Democratic Republic of Hungary), but de-facto a puppet state of the VMS. Gyula Szekeres died in combat, and Adolf Hitler committed suicide in a Czech prison. This led to the consequence that Nazism doesn’t spread through Germany, and the fascist ideology became very unpopular. The Spanish Civil War never happens, Salazar never seizes power in Portugal, and the fascist government of Benito Mussolini is overthrown by the Garibaldist Republic of Italy.
The rise of Central Europe[]
From 1925 to 1927 a huge economic and scientific “boom” happens in the United States of Central Europe and in the Weimar Republic, where Paul von Hindenburg was never elected. At that time, the VMS had the second largest GDP per capita in Europe (the first is Switzerland and the third is Belgium). In 1926, the Czech polymath Leopold Kovarik created the first working computer, which was capable of solving difficult equations and decode cyphers. The Central European scientists also discovered a very light but extremely hard and resilient carbon-based material, which is much more elastic than almost any metal, and much harder at the same time. The military technology also became very developed. There was no enforced conscription, but since the salary in the army was extremely high meaning that many young adults, especially from the poorer, rural regions of the country voluntarily registered.
Many scientists, including the world-famous Albert Einstein were invited to be the citizens of the country, and most of them accepted the offer.
Carol I, king of Central Europe. Around 1930
In 1927, parliament decided to change the government type to a constitutional monarchy. The king would not be the actual ruler of the country, he would just be the symbol of the. On December the 2nd, king Carol I of Central Europe is “crowned” in the Viennese Stephanskirche, although this could be rather described as some kind of “swearing to be the ruler of the state”, because there was no actual crown placed on his head. The residence of the new king is his mansion near Prague.
In 1928, Poland, which is struggling with economical problems, holds a referendum if they should join the VMS, and 62% of the population votes with yes, except some parts with ethnic Lithuanian majority, which join Lithuania. Poland becomes a state of Central Europe.
In the same year, the first wave of decolonization happened. Belgium and the Netherlands withdrew their colonial armies from the colonies (Congo, Dutch East Indies, Suriname). These nations became independent. Belgium had to pay to the victims of the atrocities in the Congo Free State.
In October 24. 1929 the Wall Street crash occurs, and the economy of the US is severely damaged. During and after the economic boom in Central Europe, some big companies and people stopped investing into the US economy and stopped holding their money in American banks. To avoid large damage in the economy, Central Europe, Scandinavia and Germany funded the banks so that people do not lose their money, and abandoned the gold-standard. This resulted in a moderately large inflation, but saved the countries from collapse and famine. The dust bowl (series of dust storms that happened in the US during the Great Depression, and which made farming impossible in some areas for a long period) destroyed the economy of the United States of America even more, and the government collapsed after they lost against the Filipino freedom fighters. A period known as the Second American Civil War came, where the main belligerents were the Empire of Texas, the Republic of California, the State of Pacifica, the Commune of New York and the United States of Free America (a direct-democratic republic which was formed as a coalition between the Afro-Americans, the Hispanic Americans and the Native Americans). Other smaller short lived-nations were the New Confederacy of the South, the Republic of the Great Lakes, the Republic of Hawaii (an ally of the Free States) and the Anarchy of the Midwest. Alaska got annexed by the Soviet Union.
The Second Great war[]
For full article, see The Second Great War
The Second Great war (also called the Second Global war or the Second World war) is the biggest war fought by the United States of Central Europe. In the late '20-s, the tensions began to rise between the VMS and the big European colonial empires, mostly Britain and France. The VMS, which was heavily anti-colonial, was secretly supplying Indian, Indochinese and Moroccan rebels with weapons, food and money, because one of the most important principles of the United States of Central Europe was that colonisation is highly unethical, and should be banned, because all of the nations in the world should be equal. In March 2. of 1932, the British government, which was already very suspicious about the giant wall system being build on the German-French border with the help of Central Europeans, finds out about this secret help, and it quickly turns out, that the same is happening in French colonies. The two empires declare war on the VMS and its allies (Weimar Republic, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Ethiopia, Thailand and Tonga, together also called the Anticolonialist bloc) hoping that they could quickly eliminate this rising superpower. Although the United States of Central Europe have the most developed weapons in the world (the best airplanes, the lightest, fastest, but most destructive tanks, the best guns and cannons, etc.), they were clearly outnumbered by the British and French soldiers (Imperialist bloc). The Imperialist bloc also started a naval invasion, hoping that they could attack the Weimar Republic from the north, but they were defeated by the Scandinavian navy.
Map of the nations participating in the Second Great War. The countries of the Anticolonialist bloc are indicated in blue, while the red and the orange colors represent the Imperialist bloc. Countries with stripes (f.e. India) are the ones which switched sides or became independent during the war.
In February 1933 the Anticolonialist bloc launched the so-called "Operation Golden Lotus", which meant basically the invasion of France from the northeast, the southeast and from the German border. This was the most devastating part of the war. Many millions of soldiers died on both sides during the invasion of France. The VMS and its allies were using both trench warfare and the tactics which are today called Blitzkrieg. While the soldiers of the two rival blocs were fighting each other in Europe, many revolutions occurred throughout the colonies. The biggest and most crucial of them was the Indian revolution, which, in the end, succeeded, because almost all of the soldiers were sent back to Europe. Revolutions also succeeded in Tanganyika, French Indochina, Egypt and Morocco. These events weakened the Imperialist bloc. Finally, in December 2. 1934, the siege of Paris ended, resulting in the capitulation of the French Empire. The war with the British still continued until 1935. The Irish and Scottish resistance troops (often called the Celtic Battalion), which were trained and supported by the Anticolonialist bloc also played a big role in it. The final invasion against Great Britain was a naval invasion launched from the occupied French coast. In total, 15 ships, one giant, 400 m long battleship (“Hope”), 50 airplanes, 18 submarines and circa 49.000 people from the Anticolonialist bloc were participating in it. The Second Great War ended in July 6. 1935, when a peace treaty was signed in York. Mostly the French and the British had to pay for war reparations. It was estimated that almost 27 million people died in the war, mostly soldiers. George V, aged 69 was dethroned, and a republic was established in England and in France for one year. Later, the European borders drastically changed (see: the New Border Deal).
New Border Deal[]
For full article, see; New Border Deal
Map of the states affected by the New Border Deal or created after the the collapse of the Soviet Union, 1946-1952
The New Border Deal was an agreement between the rulers of Europe which was made during the Schönbrunn conference. In order to prevent the continent from more ethnic or territorial armed conflicts, they decided to redraw the borders of Europe and some other countries, making every country’s government a parliamentary system similar to the government of the VMS. The only exceptions were the Scandinavian countries and the Soviet Union, which refused to participate in these negotiations.
A few changes were made in Europe between the declaration of the New Border Deal and the Six Nation Agreement (see: Today). The most notable of these were the establishment of the United States of Romania-Hungary in 1952, following the Csongrád protests, and the establishment of the United States of Scandinavia. In 1936, the VMS repurchased territories lost in the First Great War from the Benelux States. On the territory where once a Belgian-German condiminium, Neutral Moresnet existed, a new city, Unueco was built. In 1938, the government officially declared that Unueco is the new administrative capital of the VMS.
Today[]
In this alternative timeline, the year 2020 would be totally different. The Soviet Union fell in 1946 due to the sudden death of Stalin, and five new nations were established. In 2020, there are only six countries in the world: Europe (officially: United States of Europe), Asia (United States of Asia), North America (United States of North- and Central America, or simply USNCA), South America (U.S. of South America), Africa and Oceania. The South Pole is equally divided amongst the nations. The Six-Nation Agreement was signed in 1996 by every president/prime minister/chancellor and monarch of the world, in Berlin.
Map of the world after the Six-Nation Agreement in 1996
The last nation to withstand the unification was the People's Republic of Aromania. It was a short-lived socialist country which was formed after a revolution in the U.S. of the Balkans and the U.S. of Greece, in January 1996. They declared war on the rest of the Balkans and Central Europe. Although they lacked the money and the equipment, they could still survive for a couple of months. The main reason for that was their local knowledge and ability to quickly flee to the mountains, where it was extremely hard to find them. Finally, on April 4. 1996, the country capitulated, so the Agreement could be finally signed. The New York Commune and the Anarchy of the Midwest, two American countries which refused to join the USNCA, were attacked and annexed from many sides by Canada, the U.S. of Mexico, the Republic of the Great Lakes and with the support of Central Europe.
The most disputed territories (which caused serious disagreements amongst the rulers of the world) were the island of New Guinea (in the end the whole island joined Oceania), the Sinai peninsula (which remained an African territory), Gibraltar (ceded to Europe), Greenland (which became a part of North America) and Hawaii (which joined Oceania). Although none of them have official languages, German is the most dominant language, like English in our real world. The official currency, which is introduced in the whole world, is the Krone, while the change is called Cent (100 cents equals 1 Krone). One Krone is circa 1.3 US dollars in our timeline. The human race is already officially an interplanetary species, with many bases on Mars, whereas the Moon is fully colonised. For more information about discoveries, see: Science and technology.
Timeline[]
1919: To assure the economic growth in both countries, the chancellor of Austria (Dr. Karl Renner, Social Democratic Party) and the prime minister of Czechoslovakia (Vlastimil Tusar, Social Democratic Party) sign the treaty of Vienna, forming the union between the two countries.
1921: The VMS becomes one of the most prosperous countries in the region, avoiding the inflation which occurred (for example) in the Weimar Republic. Rich people start investing in the Central European companies, banks, etc.
1923: The Beer Hall Putsch succeeds, and together with an underground fascist Bavarian separatist military organisation, they take over Bavaria.
1924: Miklos Horthy, the fascist regent of Hungary is overthrown by a radical fascist coup, and together with the newly formed Bavarian State they attack the social-democratic VMS.
1925: The war is over, with Central Europe completely winning against the fascists. The peace treaty is signed in Szeged, Hungary. VMS annexes whole Bavaria and some regions of northern Hungary. The war was very unpopular amongst civilians both in Hungary and in Bavaria, so they are happy to be part of a new, rising country.
1925-27: The United States of Central Europe becomes one of the richest and most scientifically developed countries in the world. Many intellectuals (mostly scientists) are immigrating there, most of them from Eastern Europe and the United States (of America).
1927: Carol I, the first king of the VMS is “crowned”, so the government type officially shifts to a constitutional monarchy, but the government remains a liberal social-democratic one. The king is just a symbol of the country.
1928: Poland holds a referendum and decides to join the VMS.
1929: The Wall Street crash occurs, but, because much more people have their money in Central European banks, and invest in their businesses, the crash only affects the USA. The Second Civil War breaks out.
1932: The British and the French colonial government finds out, that the VMS has been secretly providing colonial freedom fighters (mostly in India, French Indochina and Morocco) with weapons and money. They declare war on the United States of Central Europe and its allies (Germany, Scandinavian countries, Ethiopia, Siam, Argentina; together called the Anticolonialist bloc).
1933: Operation "Golden Lotus" is launched. The soldiers of the Anticolonialist bloc are slowly approaching towards Paris, while airplanes are constantly bombing eastern France.
1934: Paris is occupied by the Anticolonialist bloc. The French Empire capitulates. A "Provisional Government" is established in France. At the same time, series of revolutions occur all over the colonies.
1935: The siege of London has ended. Britain capitulates, and this officially ends the Second Great War. The peace treaty is signed in York. King George V, aged 69 is dethroned.
1936: During the Schoenbrunn conference, the leaders of Europe decide to redraw Europes borders by uniting nations into bigger countries, to prevent the continent from geopolitical and ethnical wars. The prototype for every country is the VMS.
1938: Unueco, a city built on the Central European-Benelux border, becomes the new administrative capital of Central Europe.
1946: Stalin dies, and this results in the sudden collapse of the Soviet Union. Five new states emerge and all of them adopt the VMS-style government, flag, ideology, etc. These five countries are: the United States of Russia, the United States of Siberia, the United States of the Caucasus and the United States of Eastern Europe and the United States of Turkestan.
1952: The Csongrád protests begin, and half a year later the United States of Romania-Hungary is formed.
1967: Denmark-Iceland, Norway and Sweden (countries that refused to participate in the New Border Deal) unite, forming the U.S. of Scandinavia. This was the last country to Change its flag and name to match the Central European standards.
1971: King Carol I dies without an heir. Monarchy in Central Europe is disbanded.
1996: The Six-Nation Agreement is signed. From now on, there will be only six countries in the world: Europe, Asia, Africa, South America, North America and Oceania.
States and foreign relations[]
States[]
The VMS is a country divided into States. This decision was made to assure the unity of the country but respect the cultural differences at the same time. Each state has its own parliament, capital city and rights to make minor changes in the official laws, but, all in all, the country is still united. The United States of Central Europe is in a way a federal republic. The states are listed below, alongside the year in which they became a part of the country:
Map of the states, 1936-1952
- Austrian Alps (1919)
- Bavaria (1925)
- Bohemia (1919)
- Brandenburg (1936)
- Burgenland (1919)
- East Prussia (1936)
- Hanover (1936)
- Moravia (1919)
- North Austria (1919)
- North Hungary (1925-1952)
- Central Poland (1928)
- Pomerania (1928)
- Red Ruthenia (1928)
- Rheinland (1936)
- Saxony (1936)
- Schleswig-Holstein (1936)
- Silesia (1928)
- Slovakia (1919)
- Slovenia (1936)
- Styria (1919)
- Unueco Capital Territory (1938)
- Würtemburg (1936)
- Zakarpattia (1919)
Foreign relations[]
Excellent[]
Note: not every nation is listed, only the ones which were important for the VMS throughout its history. Also, the nations created during the New Border Deal are not listed, because all of them were the allies of the VMS.
Flag of the Irish rebels, 1935
- Weimar Republic (1919-1936)
- Sweden (1919-1996)
- Netherlands (1919-1936)
- Belgium (1932-1936)
- Norway (1919-1996)
- Denmark (1919-1996)
- Siam (1923-1996)
- Ethiopia (1923-1996)
- African American, Latino and Native American rebels, later the United States of Free America (1929-1996)
- Republic of California (1929-1996)
- Argentina (1930-1996)
- Celtic Battalion, later Ireland (1934-1936)
- Indian Liberation Movement, later India (1930-1996)
- Moroccan front, later Republic of Morocco (1932-1996)
- Tanganyikan rebels, later U. S. of Tanganyika (1934-1996)
- Free State of Indochina, later the Republic of Indochina (1930-1996)
Good[]
- USA (1919-1929)
- Republic of Hawaii (1929-1930)
- Republic of the Great Lakes (1929-1972)
- Republic of China (1936-1996)
- Mexico (1919-1936)
- Brazil (1919-1996)
- State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, later the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (1919-1996)
- Chile (1919-1996)
- Japanese empire, later the Republic of Japan (1919-1996)
- Sovereign State of Manchuria (1941-1996)
- Mongolia (1919-1996)
- Indonesia (1936-1996)
- Congo (1936-1996)
- Other former colonies of European empires, like Ghana, Mali, Guinea, South Africa, Canada, etc. (1936-1996)
Variant of the flag of the People's Republic of Aromania, 1996
Weary[]
- Soviet Union (1922-1946)
- British Empire (1924-1932)
- French Empire (1922-1932)
- Portugese Empire (1932-1936)
- Spanish Empire (1932-1936)
- Italian Empire (1921-1936)
- Hungary (1920-1924)
At war[]
- New York commune (1929-1930)
- State of Pacifica (1929-1930)
- Anarchy of the Midwest and other anarchist insurgent groups in the Second American Civil War (1929-1930)
- French Empire (1932-1934)
- British Empire (1932-1935)
- National State of Hungary (1925)
- Reich of Bavaria (1925)
- People's Republic of Aromania (1996)
Culture[]
Arts[]
Throughout the history of the country, art was always very important. Since there was a very big middle-class in the VMS, products such as paintings or sculptures could be sold easily. The presence of this huge middle-class also meant, that there was a high demand for museums, concerts and art performances.
The government also built many museums, including the National Museum of Central Europe (NMME). Some parts of the Viennese Kunsthistorisches Museum and the Czech National Museum were brought there. Later the museum purchased many artefacts from other museums, like the Louvre and the British Museum. Later, when Germany became a part of the country, many things were transferred to the NMME from German museums, mostly the Altes and the Neues Museum. It is said, that the National Museum of Central Europe has one of the best collection of ancient Egyptian and Sumerian treasures.
Painting[]
Drawing by Alphons Mucha
Painting was probably one of the most popular types of visual arts, especially in the early stages of the country. Countless different painting styles were popular in Central Europe during the twentieth century, from neo-renaissance and neo-romanticist paintings to the most modern cubist, symbolist or even abstract ones. The most famous and best selling Central European painters were Alfons Mucha, a world-famous Czech Art-Nuveau/symbolist painter; Lajos Gulácsy, a Hungarian painter who emigrated from Hungary to the VMS (his style can not be specified, because he paints strange, dream-like visions, but he is sometimes also called a symbolist or a pre-surrealist); Tivadar Csontváry Kosztka, who was also a Hungarian painter (in our timeline, he died in 1919, but in this ATL he got a Central European scholarship, and he continued to live there until 1927); and Klemens Brosch, an Austrian surrealist painter. Schiele and Klimt were also extremely popular, although they both died before the creation of the country, in 1918. The richer citizens often purchased older paintings, and the king also did. In 1927, the Virgin of the Rocks by Leonardo da Vinci was bought from the British National Gallery.
After the New Border Deal, when it was free to migrate from one European country to another, many painters, including Pablo Picasso did so, due to better living conditions and more potential customers. In the period after the New Border Deal, Jakub Havlík was probably the most noteable Central European painter. His style was similar to George Braque's cubism, but he developed his own version, with combining cubistic forms, realistic or surrealistic paintings and pictures cut out of newspapers into huge collages. His most expensive painting was the "Still Life with Greek Vase and Artichokes". It was sold at a Berlin Auction for 120.000.000 Kronen, which equals to roughly 150.000.000 US Dollars in our timeline.
Music[]
Music was also very important for everyone. From a Ukrainian peasant to the royal family, every group of the society had to do something with music. In the rural regions of the country, Transcarpathia, Slovakia, Moravia and some regions in Austria, Germany and Hungary, traditional folk music was the most popular. The local authorities often organised concerts and festivals, especially on national holidays of the region. These folk-song motives were later sometimes used in experimentative folk-jazz music.
Arguably the most popular composer of the first half of the twentieth century amongst the middle-class was Erik Satie. Avant-garde music became much more popular in this timeline than in our timeline. In the '40s, Olivier Messiaen's became also very popular, alongside the jazz music, which experienced its golden age in the recovering United States. In 1927, the National Concert Hall dedicated to Bedrich Smetana was erected in Prague. Guests from all over the world were often invited there, and this was where the first Festival of Indian Culture took place in 1930.
As the constitution states, the anthem of the United States of Central Europe is "United Forever", based on a Symphony in F-major written in the same year by the Czech composer Vojtech Polasek. The lyrics were written by Krystof Vlcek. In the anthem, the importance of unity between the states is emphasised.
Architecture[]
During the first period (1919-1936), many decorative buildings and monuments were built, alongside the various factories. In 1927, the summer residence of the king is built near Alpbach, in the Austrian Alps. It is a moderate-sized Art-Nuveau mansion with a gilded dome, so it somewhat resembles the Secession Building in Vienna. The National Museum and the Concert Hall are both built in Neo-Baroque/Neo-Classicist styles. In 1929, the Austrian parliament is rebuilt a little bit so that more people can fit in it.
After the war, a giant monument for the victims was erected in Prague. Its style can be determined somewhere between Neo-Classicism and Art Deco. It can house almost one thousand people. Inside, there is a four-meter-tall, gilded statue depicting an old woman crying over the dead body of a soldier. The statue itself is often called a "Pieta". Every year, a ceremony takes place there, where the people commemorate the war dead.
Artistic depiction of the "Monument of Humanity"
It is also worth mentioning, that during this period, there was a mass migration into the country, so many buildings were built to house these people. They were designed to be less decorative but cheap and rational.
Probably the most ambitious and expensive building project ever accomplished by the country was the building of the "Monument to Humanity", a 2900 m high skyscraper built in Berlin. The first plan was made in 2004, but the project was postponed. Finally, in 2016 they started building it, and, by 2020, it was done. It took 23000 people and almost 18000 robots to build the tower.
Sports[]
Sports, especially football, are also very liked in the VMS. Other popular sports are athletics, martial arts (the basics of which are even taught in school), volleyball, basketball and hockey. Under Central European influence, football was introduced nearly in every country. In 1958, the rules of football were reformed, making it a more strategical and sophisticated but less aggressive game.
However, the official national game of the country is button-football, a football simulating game played on a tabletop. Its exact origins are unknown, but similar games are played in England, Georgia and Brazil. The Central European version of the game is based on the Hungarian variant.
Football[]
Shortly after the country was established, a new football league system was introduced. There are no leagues like the Premier League in England, but instead every state plays its own one and then the first three teams of the states play against each other. Bohemia and Moravia are considered as one state, and so are Germany, Bavaria and Eastern Prussia.
In this alternative timeline, the first world cup was held in 1930, but instead of Uruguay, it took place in Great Britain. Because of the ”cold war” between Central Europe and Britain, both of the countries wanted to show how good their team was. England won the championship, with Argentina on the second place and Central Europe on the third. Uruguay, the winner in our timeline, could not afford sending their players to Great Britain. The championship that would have taken place in 1934 was cancelled due to the war, and the next one was only organised in 1938, in Mexico. This was a huge milestone in the history of football, because, as the strategies became increasingly more developed, teams started to use the 3-3-4, the 4-2-4 and the 4-4-2 formations. In the 1938 championship, already 32 nations are participating: the post-New Border Deal European countries, Denmark, Sweden, Soviet Union, United States of America, Argentina, Brazil, China and others. Hugo Meisl, the coach of the team, died because of a heart attack in our timeline, but in the VMS timeline, he is successfully rescued from his Viennese flat and saved. He dies only in 1944, aged 62. Central Europe won the cup, followed by the U.S. of England and France, then the U.S. of Italy and Albania and Uruguay was on the fourth place. In the final against England and France, the VMS won with 2 goals. Matthias Sindelar and György Sárosi both scored one goal. Below are listed the players of the winning team.
Variations of the uniforms worn by the Central European players
- GK Frantisek Planićka (Czechia)
- DF Karl Sesta (Austria)
- DF Jaroslav Burgr (Czechia)
- MF Walter Nausch (Austria)
- MF József Turay (Hungary)
- MF László Raffinsky (Transylvanian Hungarian)
- FW Antonín Puć (Czechia)
- FW Gyula Zsengellér (Hungary)
- FW Matthias Sindelar, captain (Austria)
- FW György Sárosi (Hungary)
- FW Ernst Wilimowski (Poland)
- Coach: Hugo Meisl (Austria)
| Year | Winner | Runner-up | Host country |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | Great Britain | Central Europe | Great Britain |
| 1938 | Central Europe | England and France | Mexico |
| 1942 | England and France | Italy and Albania | Italy and Albania |
| 1946 | Brazil | Argentina | Brazil |
| 1950 | Sweden | Uruguay | Sweden |
| 1954 | Central Europe | Great Britain | Central Europe |
| 1958 | Central Europe | Italy and Albania | Argentina |
| 1962 | Brazil | Great Britain | USA |
| 1966 | England and France | Central Europe | England and France |
| 1970 | Brazil | Brazil | Japan |
| 1974 | Brazil | Benelux | Balkans |
| 1978 | Benelux | Iberia | Russia |
| 1982 | Italy and Albania | Central Europe | Colombia |
| 1986 | Argentina | Uruguay | Uruguay |
| 1990 | Central Europe | Eastern Europe | Eastern Europe |
| 1994 | Brazil | Central Europe | China |
Cuisine[]
In the first half of the 20th century, traditional Central European cuisine was the most dominant in the VMS. Dishes like Tafelspitz, Käsespätzle, Goulash, Pierogi and beef with Sauerkraut were consumed very often by the citizens of the country. German and Russian cuisine also heavily influenced the cuisine of Central Europe. Arguably the most popular dessert was the Gundel pancake, a type of crêpe created by the Hungarian restaurateur Károly Gundel. It is a pancake with walnuts and rum, topped with whipped cream and chocolate sauce. In 1930, Gundel established a restaurant chain throughout the country, and later he became so popular that the government even sponsored them. It served traditional Hungarian and Austrian dishes. The Gundel restaurants, especially in Vienna, Berlin, Prague and Budapest, became the meeting points of local intellectuals and artists. It is said, that Jakub Havlík was often drinking absinthe in the Gundel restaurant, and some say he was a great friend of Gundel. This might explain why he painted his portrait. In the second half of the century, the Gundel restaurant chain starts expanding, with restaurants appearing in most of the major cities of the world. The most iconic dish of the restaurant (besides the pancake) becomes the so-called "fifteener", which got its name from its price, namely fifteen Kronen. These were usually pieces of beef, game or fish, served differently in many countries (Tuna steak in Japan, Beef with tapas in Spain, etc.).
Traditional Gundel pancake at the Gundel Restaurant
The cuisine radically changes in the last decades of the 20th century. The population of Earth is rapidly growing, especially in China, India and Africa. Since million new inhabitants have to be fed every day, scientists try to research new technologies which would be cheap and effective. Genetically modified crops and artificial meat starts to appear on the market. Despite this, some traditional meals survived this "gastronomical rationalisation". The Gundel restaurants still exist in many cities. As many immigrants emigrate into Europe, Indian, South American and especially African restaurants begin to appear in huge quantities.
Flag[]
The United States of Central Europe had three official flags in total. The first one, designed in 1919
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shortly before declaring the new country, consisted of a red-white-red horizontal tricolour and a blue triangle on the hoist side. This flag included elements from the Austrian, as well as the Czechoslovak ensigns, and was used until 1936, when Germany joined the union. At this moment, the flag was redesigned to include colours from the Flag of Germany. The coat of arms was also changed, by replacing the Austrian eagle in the top-left with the German eagle, which represents Germany and Austria together. The crest was placed on the flag, to avoid confusion with other Leage of United States-flags. However, after a 1972 referendum, it was decided that the coats of arms shall be removed from all LUS national flags, to simplify them, but the arms were left on the state flags. Flags with geometrical patterns in their middle band (U.S. of Greece, U.S. of Turkestan, U.S. of Eastern Europe, etc.) were also simplified, by replacing the patterns with thin lines of the same colour. The third flag was used until the unification of Europe in 1996.
Science and technology[]
For full article, see: Science and Technology
In the timeline where the VMS exists, the Holocaust didn't happen and the Wall Street Crash didn't affect Europe, the history of science would be very different. The Space Age starts much earlier, and, by 2020, humanoid robots are parts of the society. Overpopulation and famines don't exist anymore, and there is a cure for nearly every disease, including different types of cancer.