Alternative History
Register
Advertisement
United Commonwealth of Nations
Aka British commonwealth
Official language English (for official purposes), many local languages
Capital London, England
Head of State King George VII (2003-date)
President of the commonwealth Micheal Howard
Area 18,000,000 km²
Population 1.1 billion inhabitants
Foundation July 3 1948 (declared), December 12th 1948 (formalised)
Currency Pound Sterling

History

main article Sacrifice of Angel's divergence


The United Commonwealth is the evolution of the British Empire in the Sacrifice of Angel's timeline. This timeline diverges from OTL on May 20th 1940 when a series of Nuclear explosions devastate Germany, America and the Soviet Union after a series of dimensional rifts open linking the planet with another where a limited Nuclear exchange occurred between Russia and the United States.

Following this Stalin, Hitler and Roosevelt were all presumed dead along with most of the political staff of their countries. In addition the German army supply lines were destroyed and the troops demoralised by what had occurred in their homeland. This enabled the British and the French to mount a successful counterattack and the German's sued for peace in on July 31st 1940.

Across much of the world the devastation destroyed governments and tore apart countries. Russia fell into anarchy as its systems fell apart and the united States suffered a long debilitating civil war. This only got worse over the next few months as a monstrous plague The Living Death took hold around the world killing about half the planet's population. This was followed by a very hard winter that killed millions more and by the mid-1940's parts of the planet were totally depopulated. Outside of the Empire and a few other places only anarchy reigned.

A devastated Germany meanwhile built a new democratic system and forged a survival alliance with Britain to aid in rebuilding. France was also badly hit by fallout from Germany and this as well as the damage from the invasion soured relations between the two countries for good, in addition the French were angry with the British for supporting a former enemy.

By the late 1940's the loss of most of its rivals had consolidated Britain's hold over a quarter of the world but dissatisfaction with the current system most strongly in India led to a need for a new system of government. In 1946 Anthony Benton published his blueprint for change which called for full local autonomy and the establishment of a council or a senate consisting of members from all member states to decide foreign policy and settle internal disputes. After two years of debate the British Parliament passed the bill and the Commonwealth was born. Over the next ten years the Empire slowly became an Alliance and stabilised as local peoples were granted rights denied for so long.

For the next sixty years the Alliance was the premier power on the planet but as the 20th century ended America began to move away from isolationist policies and into competition with the Alliance. This led to a rivalry which was made stronger by the discovery by the Times of London in 2006 that an American experiment might have been the cause of the 1940 event.

Political

The United Commonwealth is a loose alliance of some 121 separate nations. This consists for the most part of nation states created from the former British Empire and a few additions that have joined since. These include the Republic of Germany and the Central Asian Republics of the former Soviet Union. Of special note is the Republic of South Africa. A former part of the Empire the nation was forced to withdraw from the Commonwealth in 1952 when it refused to end its racist policies. Several parts of the Republic broke away in the mid 1950's to rejoin the commonwealth as "The free South African states". The nation was finally readmitted in 1988 following the election of Nelson Mandela's government in 1987.

Each country has its own government who decide all internal affairs, for the most part this is based on the Parliament in London, with the exception of a few Republican systems. Each state then elects a certain number of representatives to the Commonwealth Senate in London. This body has the power to declare war and regulate trade and disputes. The Senate has a President (currently Micheal Howard) who is directly elected by the people. He rules with Parliament and must allow them a vote on all issues.

Most countries proclaim the current Monarch of Britain to be their King as well again excepting Republics. Currently the King is George VII (formally Charles, Prince of Wales) along with Queen Camilla who the King married in 1973, the next in line is their first son Prince John. In India the Monarch is known as the Emperor. His mother Queen Elizabeth II is only the second Monarch to willingly abdicate when in 2002 she announced her intent to step down on the fiftieth anniversary of her coronation. She did this since she wished to enjoy her remaining years in quiet retirement and felt the Royal Family stable enough to allow this to happen.

All countries have the right to leave the commonwealth at any point though only South Africa has ever done so. Non-members can become associates which entitles them to trade in the Commonwealth zone on an equal level but does not allow them a say in government.

To be added to...

Advertisement