| “ | Historians may cast its accusatory gaze upon Britain for the escalation of the Second World War. Some may opine that our acts were ill-advised, and perchance, they may find merit in such assertions. Yet, one would have to possess the prescient gift of prophecy to discern the ramifications of one's deeds, and alas, we were not endowed with prophetic foresight; we were but mere men.
|
” |
March 1940. The European continent is once again at war. Poland has fallen to a joint German–Soviet invasion and the Finnish government is on the brink of surrendering in the Winter War. But in the west, the Allied powers are worried about the repeat of the destruction of the Great War some twenty years ago. French Prime Minister Édouard Daladier, concerned about the survival of his government, urges his British counterpart Neville Chamberlain to intervene in Scandinavia. Under the pressure, the Moscow negotiations ultimately collapse and Väinö Tanner requests Allied support. The Battle of Scandinavia is about to begin.
Mere Men is a timeline that explores a world where Allied support for Finland in the Winter War escalated into a war with the Soviet Union.
Meta[]
Mere Men is a (mostly) solo timeline by me with also some imput from a few people off-wiki. Contributions are welcome as long as they don't disturb the overall timeline, but even minor details can make the timeline more interesting. However, as there are already dozens of Google Docs full of lore that's not yet been fully moved here, any contributions should be proposed through a talk page first.
Overview[]
1940s[]
The Second World War quickly consumed most Europe, the Middle East and East Asia, bringing more death and destructions than the first one. The looming threat of Fourpartite Pact victory was avoided as the Soviet Union launched a surprise offensive against Germany. The war resulted in the collapse of European democracy as most of Central and Eastern Europe fell under communist control while France remained a dictatorship under the rule of Philippe Pétain, meanwhile conflicts in East Asia continued as United States fought remaining Japanese guerillas, independence wars engulfed Vietnam and Indonesia and China fell to Mao Zedong's forces.
1950s[]
Decolonisation made a slow start as the United Kingdom withdrew from India and Pakistan, French troops left Vietnam and the Netherlands recongised Indonesian independence. Israel declared its independence following a long civil war, opening the way for decades of Arab–Israeli conflict. Deaths of Philippe Pétain and Joseph Stalin brought some reforms to France and the Soviet Bloc respectively. Authoritarian regimes began to be more prominent throughout South America with coup d'états in Brazil and Bolivia.
1960s[]
Hope of the return of democracy to Europe that followed the Czechoslovak Renaissance was destroyed after the Soviet forces invaded the country, though the collapse of socialist Iran and the Austro–Soviet split signified the start of the Soviet period of decline. Meanwhile a major scandal in the United Kingdom resulted in the abdication of Elizabeth II and the resurgence of British republicanism. The first major war in decades took place in South America after Argentina invaded Chile, just as democracy was restored in Brazil. The assassination of Josip Broz Tito by an Albanian nationalist caused turmoil in Yugoslavia. The rebel victory in the North Borneo solidified Indonesia as a regional power.
1970s[]
Collapse was looming in the Soviet Union as cracks began showing in its system while the authoritarian regimes of Spain and Portugal finally fell after decades. The breakup of the Afghanistan–Pakistan confederation resulted in nearly unchallenged Indian dominanance over South Asia. The end of the United Kingdom also became imminent as Scotland gradually moved towards independence. In the United States pacifist and non-interventionist movements gained traction after a nuclear disaster shook the country.
1980s[]
1990s[]
2000s[]
2010s[]
2020s[]
List of nations[]
- This list is incomplete
| Full name
Native name(s) |
Emblems | Capital | Leadership | Government | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flag | Arms/
Seal |
Head of state | Head of government | |||
| Republic of Afghanistan د افغانستان جمهوریت جمهوری افغانستان |
Kabul | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary presidential republic | ||
| Republic of Albania Republika e Shqipërisë |
|
Tirana | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary parliamentary republic | |
| Algerian Republic للجمهورية الجزائرية |
|
Algiers | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary semi-presidential republic | |
| Principality of Andorra Principat d'Andorra |
|
|
Andorra la Vella | Co-Princes: | Unitary parliamentary constitutional semi-theocratic elective diarchy | |
| Democratic People's Republic of Angola Republika Demokratika vo Omanu yo Angola República Popular Democrática de Angola |
|
|
Huambo | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary semi-presidential republic |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 
|
|
St. John's | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary parliamentary republic |
| Argentine Republic República Argentina |
|
|
San Martin en la Patagonia | President: | Prime Minister: | Federal parliamentary republic |
| Republic of Armenia Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն |
|
Yerevan | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary parliamentary republic | |
| Commonwealth of Australia | 
|
Canberra | President: | Prime Minister: | Federal parliamentary republic | |
| Republic of Austria Republik Österreich |
|
|
Vienna | President: | Prime Minister: | Federal parliamentary republic |
| Republic of Azerbaijan آذربایجان رئسپۇبلیکاسی Azərbaycan Respublikası |
|
Baku | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary semi-presidential republic | |
| Commonwealth of The Bahamas | 
|
Nassau | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary parliamentary republic | |
| Bangladesh | 
|
Dhaka | President: | Prime Minister: | ||
| Barbados | Bridgetown | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary parliamentary republic | ||
| Belarusian Republic Беларуская Рэспубліка Белорусская Республика |
|
|
Minsk | Chairman of the Presidium: | Prime Minister: Vladimir Zimyanin | Unitary parliamentary republic under a one-party dictatorship |
| Kingdom of Belgium Koninkrijk België Royaume de Belgique Königreich Belgien |
|
|
Brussels | King: Leopold IV | Prime Minister: | Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| Belize Bileez |
|
|
Belize City | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary parliamentary republic |
| Bohemian Republic Česká republika |
|
|
Prague | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary parliamentary republic |
| United States of Bolivia Estados Unidos de Bolivia |
|
|
La Paz, Sucre | President: | Federal presidential republic | |
| Republic of Botswana Lefatshe la Botswana |
|
Lobatse | President: | Unitary parliamentary republic with an executive presidency | ||
| Republic of the United States of Brazil República dos Estados Unidos do Brasil |
|
|
Brasília | President: | Federal presidential republic | |
| Republic of Bulgaria Република България |
|
Sofia | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary parliamentary republic | |
| Burma | President: | Prime Minister: | ||||
| Kingdom of Cambodia ព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា |
|
|
Phnom Penh | King: | Prime Minister: | |
| Cameroon | Yaoundé | President: | Prime Minister: | |||
| Canada | 
|
Ottawa | President: | Prime Minister: | ||
| Chad | President: | Prime Minister: | ||||
| Republic of Chile República de Chile |
|
|
Santiago | President: | ||
| People's Republic of China 中华人民共和国 |
|
|
Beijing | President: | Premier: | Unitary Marxist–Leninist one-party socialist republic |
| Republic of Colombia República de Colombia |
|
|
Bogotá | President: | ||
| Republic of Costa Rica República de Costa Rica |
|
|
San José | President: | ||
| Croatia | Zagreb | President: | Prime Minister: | |||
| Republic of Cuba República de Cuba |
|
|
Havana | President: | Prime Minister: | |
| Republic of Cyprus and the Dodecanese Δημοκρατία της Κύπρος και Δωδεκάνησα Kıbrıs ve Oniki Adalar Cumhuriyeti |
|
President: | ||||
| Cyrenaica | 
|
Benghazi | Prime Minister: | |||
| Republic of Dahomey République du Dahomey |
|
Porto-Novo | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary presidential republic | |
| Kingdom of Denmark Kongeriget Danmark |
|
|
Copenhagen | Queen: Margarethe II | Prime Minister: | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| Dominica Dominik |
Roseau | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary parliamentary republic | ||
| Dominican Republic República Dominicana |
|
|
Santo Domingo | President: | ||
| Republic of Ecuador República del Ecuador |
|
|
Quito | President: | ||
| Egypt | Cairo | Prime Minister: | ||||
| Republic of El Salvador República de El Salvador |
|
|
San Salvador | President: | ||
| Commonwealth of England and Wales Cymanwlad Cymru a Lloegr |
London | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary devolved parliamentary republic | ||
| Estonia | 
|
|
Tallinn | President: | Prime Minister: | |
| Ethiopia | Addis Ababa | Prime Minister: | ||||
| Faroe Islands Føroyar |
|
|
Tórshavn | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary parliamentary republic |
| Union of the Fertile Crescent اتحاد الهلال الخصيب |
|
Baghdad | President: | Prime Minister: | ||
| Fiji | Suva | President: | Prime Minister: | |||
| Republic of Finland Suomen tasavalta |
|
Helsinki | President: | Prime Minister: | ||
| French Republic République française |
|
|
Paris | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary semi-presidential republic |
| Gambia | Banjul | President: | Prime Minister: | |||
| State of Garenganze État du Garenganze Inchi Ya Garenganze |
Kabongo | President: | ||||
| Georgia | Tbilisi | President: | Prime Minister: | |||
| German Republic Deutsche Republik |
|
|
Berlin | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary parliamentary republic |
| Ghana | Accra | Prime Minister: | ||||
| Hellenic Republic Ἑλληνικὴ Δημοκρατία |
|
Athens | President: | Prime Minister: | ||
| Grenada Gwenad |
St. George's | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary parliamentary republic | ||
| Republic of Guatemala República de Guatemala |
|
|
Guatemala City | President: | ||
| Guinea | Conakry | President: | Prime Minister: | |||
| Guyana | Georgetown | President: | Prime Minister: | |||
| Republic of Haiti République d'Haïti Repiblik d Ayiti |
|
|
Port-au-Prince | President: | ||
| Republic of Honduras República de Honduras |
|
|
Tegucigalpa | President: | ||
| Hungary | 
|
Budapest | President: | Prime Minister: | ||
| Iceland Ísland |
|
|
Reykjavík | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary parliamentary republic |
| Republic of India Bhārat Gaṇarājya |
|
New Delhi | President: | Prime Minister: | ||
| Indonesia | 
|
|
President: | |||
| Iran | Tehran | Prime Minister: | ||||
| Ireland Éire |
|
|
Dublin | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary parliamentary republic |
| Italian Republic Repubblica Italiana |
|
|
Rome | President: | Prime Minister: | |
| Ivorian Republic République ivoirienne |
Abidjan | President: | Prime Minister: | |||
| Jamaica Jumieka |
|
Kingston | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary parliamentary republic | |
| Federal Republic of Japan 日本連邦共和国 |
|
|
Tokyo | President: | Prime Minister: | Federal parliamentary republic |
| Jordan | Amman | Prime Minister: | ||||
| Kathiri Sultanate of Seiyun ٱلسَّلْطَنَة ٱلْكَثِيْرِيَّة - سَيْؤُوْن |
|
|
Seiyun | Sultan: | ||
| Kazakhstan | President: | |||||
| Kenya | Nairobi | President: | ||||
| Kirghizia | Bishkek | President: | Prime Minister: | |||
| People's Republic of Korea 조선인민공화국 |
|
|
Seoul | Premier: | Unitary one-party Marxist-Leninist socialist republic | |
| State of Kuwait دَوْلَةُ ٱلْكُوَيْت |
Kuwait City | Emir: | Prime Minister: | |||
| Laos | Vientane | Prime Minister: | ||||
| Latvia | 
|
|
Riga | President: | Prime Minister: | |
| Lebanon | 
|
|
Beirut | President: | Prime Minister: | |
| Lesotho | Maseru | Prime Minister: | ||||
| Republic of Liberia | 
|
Monrovia | President: | |||
| Principality of Liechtenstein Fürstentum Liechtenstein |
|
|
Vaduz | Prince: | Prime Minister: | Unitary parliamentary semi-constitutional monarchy |
| Lithuania | 
|
Vilnius | President: | Prime Minister: | ||
| Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Groussherzogtum Lëtzebuerg Großherzogtum Luxemburg |
|
|
Luxembourg | Grand Duke: | Prime Minister: | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| Macedonia | 
|
Skopje | President: | Prime Minister: | ||
| Madagascar | Antananarivo | President: | Prime Minister: | |||
| Democratic Republic of the Maghreb الجمهورية المغربية الديمقراطية |
|
|
Rabat | President: | Prime Minister: | |
| Malawi | President: | |||||
| Federation of Malaya Persekutuan Tanah Melayu |
Kuala Lumpur | Agong: | Prime Minister: | |||
| Maldives | Malé | Prime Minister: | ||||
| Malta | 
|
Valletta | President: | Prime Minister: | ||
| Matshobana | President: | |||||
| Mauritania | Nouakchott | President: | Prime Minister: | |||
| Mauritius | Port Louis | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary parliamentary republic | ||
| People's Republic of Martinique République populaire de Martinique Matinik |
Foyal | President: | Prime Minister: | |||
| United Mexican States Estados Unidos Mexicanos |
|
|
Mexico City | President: | ||
| Principality of Monaco Principauté de Monaco |
|
|
Monaco | Prince: | Prime Minister: | Unitary parliamentary semi-constitutional monarchy |
| Montserrat Mansarat |
|
|
Plymouth, Brades | President: | Prime Minister: | |
| Moravian-Slovakian Federative Republic Moravsko-Slovenská federativní republika Moravsko-Slovenská federatívna republika |
|
Bratislava | President: | Prime Minister: | Federal parliamentary republic | |
| Mozambique | President: | Prime Minister: | ||||
| Nepal | Kathmandu | Prime Minister: | ||||
| Kingdom of the Netherlands Koninkrijk der Nederlanden Königreich der Niederlande |
|
|
Amsterdam, The Hague | King: | Prime Minister: | Devolved unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| New Zealand Aotearoa |
President: | Prime Minister: | ||||
| Republic of Nicaragua República de Nicaragua |
|
Managua | President: | |||
| Niger | Niamey | President: | Prime Minister: | |||
| Nigeria | President: | Prime Minister: | ||||
| Northern Ireland | Belfast | |||||
| Kingdom of Norway Kongeriket Norge/Noreg |
|
|
Oslo | King: Harald V | Prime Minister: | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| Oman | Muscat | Prime Minister: | ||||
| Republic of Ovamboland Orepublika yaOvambo |
Ondangwa | President: | ||||
| Republic of Panama República de Panama |
|
|
Panama City | President: | ||
| Republic of Paraguay República del Paraguay |
Asunción | President: | ||||
| Republic of Peru República del Perú |
|
|
Lima | President: | Prime Minister: | |
| Philippines | Manila | President: | ||||
| Republic of Poland Rzeczpospolita Polska |
|
|
Warsaw | President: | Prime Minister: | |
| Portugal | 
|
|
Lisbon | Prime Minister: | ||
| Qu'aiti Sultanate of Shihr and Mukalla ٱلسَّلْطَنَة ٱلْقُعَيْطِيَّة فِي ٱلشِّحْر وَٱلْمُكَلَّا |
|
Mukalla | Sultan: | |||
| Quebec Québec |
|
|
Quebec City | President: | Prime Minister: | |
| Romania | 
|
Bucharest | President: | Prime Minister: | ||
| Russia | 
|
Moscow | President: | Prime Minister: | ||
| Rwanda | Prime Minister: | |||||
| Republic of the Ryukyus ルーチュー |
|
|
Naha | |||
| Saint Lucia Sent Lisi |
Castries | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary parliamentary republic | ||
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Kingstown | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary parliamentary republic | ||
| Samoa | Apia | Prime Minister: | ||||
| Republic of San Marino Repubblica di San Marino |
|
|
San Marino | Captains Regent: | Unitary parliamentary diarchic directorial republic | |
| Kingdom of Saudi Arabia المملكة العربية السعودية |
|
Riyadh | King: Mishaal | Prime Minister: | Unitary Islamic absolute monarchy | |
| Scotland Alba |
|
|
Edinburgh | Prime Minister: | ||
| Slovenia | 
|
Ljubljana | President: | Prime Minister: | ||
| Kingdom of Siam ราชอาณาจักรสยาม |
|
|
Bangkok | King | Prime Minister: | |
| Sierra Leone | Freetown | President: | Prime Minister: | |||
| Sikkim | 
|
|
Gangtok | |||
| State of Singapore Negeri Singapura 新加坡州 சிங்கப்பூர் மாநிலம் |
Singapore | Prime Minister: | ||||
| Solomon Islands | President: | Prime Minister: | ||||
| Somalia | Mogadishu | President: | Prime Minister: | |||
| South Arabia | Aden | President: | Prime Minister: | |||
| South Africa | Cape Town, Pretoria, Bloemfontein | Prime Minister: | ||||
| Spanish Republic República Española |
|
|
Madrid | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary semi-presidential republic |
| Sudan | Khartoum | President: | Prime Minister: | |||
| Republic of Swaziland iRiphablikhi weSwatini |
Mbabane, Lobamba | President: | Prime Minister: | |||
| Kingdom of Sweden Konungariket Sverige |
|
|
Stockholm | King: | Prime Minister: | Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
| Swiss Confederation | 
|
|
Bern | President: | Federal assembly-independent directorial republic | |
| Tajikistan | Dushanbe | President: | Prime Minister: | |||
| Tanganyika | President: | Prime Minister: | ||||
| Togo | Porto-Novo | President: | Prime Minister: | |||
| Kingdom of Tonga Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga |
|
|
Nukuʻalofa | King | Prime Minister: | |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Port of Spain | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary parliamentary republic | ||
| Tripolitania | 
|
Tripoli | ||||
| Tungaru | 
|
|
South Tarawa | |||
| Tunisia | 
|
Tunis | Prime Minister: | |||
| Republic of Turkey Türkiye Cumhuriyeti |
|
Ankara | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary presidential constitutional republic | |
| Turkmenia | Asgabat | President: | Prime Minister: | |||
| Tuvalu | Funafuti | |||||
| Republic of Ubangi-Shari Ködörösêse tî Ubangi-Shari République du Oubangui-Chari |
Bangui | President: | Prime Minister: | |||
| Ukraine | 
|
Kiev | President: | Prime Minister: | ||
| United Arab Emirates الإمارات العربية المتحدة |
President: | Prime Minister: | ||||
| United States of America | 
|
|
Washington, D. C. | President: | Federal presidential constitutional republic | |
| Oriental Republic of Uruguay República Oriental del Uruguay |
|
|
Montevideo | President: | ||
| Urundi | Prime Minister: | |||||
| Uzbekia | Tashkent | President: | Prime Minister: | |||
| Vatican City State Status Civitatis Vaticanae |
|
|
Vatican City | Pope: | Unitary Catholic theocratic elective absolute monarchy | |
| Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela República Bolivariana de Venezuela |
|
Caracas | President: | |||
| Democratic Republic of Vietnam Việt Nam Dân chủ Cộng hòa |
|
|
Hanoi | President: | Prime Minister: | Unitary Marxist–Leninist one-party socialist republic |
| Wadagudu | Wadagudu | Prime Minister: | ||||
| Republic of Xhosaland iRiphabliki yeXhosa |
|
Umtata | President: | |||
| Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen المملكة المتوكلية اليمنية |
|
|
Sanaa | King-Imam: | Prime Minister: | |
| Zambezia | Lusaka | President: | ||||
| Zanzibar | Zanzibar City | Prime Minister: | ||||
Interesting people[]
- For a more comprehensive list see Category:People (Mere Men)
- This list is incomplete
Abane Ramdane • 
Leopold Amery • 
Ben Chifley • August De Schryver • Alec Douglas-Home • Herbert Vere Evatt • Johann Koplenig • Robert Menzies • 
Mohammad Daoud Khan • Mohammad Zahir Shah • Juan Perón • Koçi Xoxe • Abdul Majid Zabuli • Miguel Ángel Zavala Ortiz • Mikhail Zimyanin