Hoi 4 Epilogue

70 years later

The World

Although heavily damaged and scarred by the wars of the 20th century, the world repaired exceptionally quickly. Soon, advances in science and technology led to longer life expectancy and the 'baby boom' of the 50's and 60's. Population soared, reaching 7 billion by 2013. Also on the science and technology side, communication and global trade increased to the point of a globally interconnected society and market. The internet became a thing around the world in the 90's, and by the early 2000's, every country had infrastructure in place to support it.

General world peace allowed for a population boom bigger even than the industrial revolution (the effects of which are still seen). Populations soared, and the world reached 7 billion people by the year 2007. By 2017, it was nearly 8 billion, but scientists predict that now, it will plateau and stabilize in the next 20 to 30 years. Along with this, the resources will begin to run dry in the next 50 to 100 years. Luckily, renewable sources such as Solar and Wind are also improving and increasing. As of 2017 the world runs on 45% renewable energy, and this too is projected to rise, perhaps up to even 80% by 2050.

American culture heavily influenced the world, and soon men and women from Russia and China, to South Africa and Brazil, were wearing blue jeans and singing American pop music.

The United States of America

President Forster signed into being the Anti-Nuclear Treaty of 1947 with nearly all the countries of the world. Part of the agreement was that the US would support the independence of colonial regions so long as they agree to sign the treaty. In the election of 1950, he won by a healthy margin and continued his policy of upholding world peace. The relations between the US and Eurasia improved quite a bit with the Sancronis plan and the UNO. The US's lack of militarism and imperialism gained the trust of many of the countries formerly its enemies, and he proposed dissolving the Anglo Alliance and relying on the UNO for strength. Others did not like the idea, and it took until 1953 for the proposal to pass. The Anglo Alliance was brought to an end.

Sancronis became president in 1954, with support from former president Forster. He sought to continue the policies set forth by Forster, and he did so well. The next presidents to come, while differing in political parties and views on social policies, shared Sancronis' and Forster's wishes. The time from 1946 onward became known as the Era of Pax Mundi.

However... In 1970, forces in eastern Europe, who still long for the good old days of the Empire of Russia, formed an anti western alliance. Volhynia, Yedisan, Russia, and most of Central Asia form the Ladoba Block and began to look to expand the alliance westward and eastward. In response, the Mutual Defense and Support Treaty (MDST) was created. This alliance included most of western Europe, as well as Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, most of the Caribbean, Canada, Terres du Nord, and China.

War never broke out between the two, but several proxy wars were fought, mainly in Africa. Relations eased a bit in the 2000's after both sides signed a non-aggression pact to avoid war. They both agreed that a second World War would mean the end of civilization as we know it.

The US fought in several wars with other nations, though. The official ones were the Cambodian War of 1955 and the Persian-American War. In 1954, a Fascist tyrant Phong Gipta took control of Cambodia and carried out mass executions of supposed enemies of the state. In response, the UNO authorized an invasion of Cambodia to bring Gipta to the International Court for crimes against humanity. Although expected to be a long and drawn out affair, the US generals, many of whom fought the Chinese in the same jungles, knew what they were doing; the war was over by 1956 and Gipta stood trial for his crimes soon after.

In the Persian Wars, MDST troops landed on the Persian coast in 2006 to dethrone the tyrant Sultan Azar Hamid. One of the missing nuclear weapons never recovered after the World War was actually in Persia, where the government had been attempting to duplicate the design for use against Najd and Delhi. The Sultan also carried out attacks against his own people in order to keep power. He was dethrone in 2007 after several months of an American operation. However, the nuclear bomb was never recovered, and it is believe that terrorists funded by Persia are currently in control of it and plan to use it against Delhi.

Europe

Serbia was eventually annexed by the Slavic Union in 1978, after their people voted in favor of membership. Hungary's collapse began in '91 after years of internal turmoil. The country collapsed into several states and the Hungarian Wars began. Kosovo, Romania, Volvodinia, Moldova, and Transylvania broke off of Hungary. Religious and cultural wars began, wherein hundreds of thousands were killed. UNO intervention saw the main aggressor, Romania, severely bombed in an attempt to stop their campaign of terror in the region. In the end, a peace treaty was signed in '99 and peace returned to the Balkans.

Britain lost a lot of their land in Europe. Denmark partitioned for freedom in 2001, but they remained loyal friends to the Brits, with whom they share a lot of their culture. In France, the people of the small pocket of British control also partitioned, but they wanted, instead of independence, to rejoin Picardy. While most of northern France remained in British control, the two provinces cut off from the rest joined Picardy in 1995.

As of 2017, the UBP is going through rough times. Many, many politicians speak of independence for their countries, while Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia bicker over policies and diplomacy. If compromises cannot be found, the UBP is bound to break apart like so many great empires before it.

Africa

Tunisia is granted independence from the USA in 1947, setting into effect a chain reaction of similar independence movements throughout Africa. The next to get its independence are Segu (formerly Mali), Asante, Futa Jalon, and Benin, all in West Africa. The last US territory in Africa is made independent in 1950, as the country of Algeria. Each of the new countries joined the UNO upon independence.

Picardian Africa gained its independence in 1958, and several attempts to stop the move by Picardy was blocked by the UNO and the USA. After that, it was obvious to the rest of the colonial peoples of Africa that the UNO and the USA would assist in their independence, and Haitian Africa began seeing movements. South Africa was made a country in 1965 and left the commonwealth of Britain for good.

The rest of the African states gained their independence in the years leading up to 1992. On that year, Ndongo is given its independence from Haiti.

A few wars break out between states, notably between Benin and neighboring the Dahomey republic. That war, in 1974, saw the worst genocide since the Middle Eastern Civil War. It ended up as a stalemate after UNO intervention.

India

Delhi wanted nothing more than to unite all of India under one banner, but Great Britain still held onto 2 large chunks of the subcontinent. What they were afraid of was the creation of one or two independent nations protected by Britain, that they would never get their hands upon. Just like the rest of the world, independence movements began in British India, and many spoke about creating a new Indian state. In 1952, Britain actually began discussions with the local governments about independence, and Delhi, angry at not being included, protested. Eventually, the UNO met and agreed on a vote to determine what will happen in India. If the British Indian chose to create a new state, the UNO will help facilitate it. If they decided to join with Delhi, the UNO will not interfere.

The vote took place in 1953, and British India voted to join Delhi. The only state to not join Delhi was Sri-Lanka, which fought a Guerrilla warfare campaign against the Delhi forces that lasted over 10 years.

Much of the credit for independence from Britain was given to a man name Mahatma Gandhi, who was considered the leader of the anti-British movement. Using peaceful means and hunger strikes, he and his followers convinced the British to consider the issue for the first time.

The Middle East

Arabia broke apart in 1949, and Yemen and Hizwa broke free on the Arabian peninsula, leaving Arabia with just the Sinai and Lower Egypt.

Persia and Delhi fought two war. In 1955, the First Persian-Delhi war broke out. Persia claimed that the Muslims in Baluchistan were persecuted by their Hindi rulers and invaded to liberate them. The war lasted several years and, surprisingly, the disadvantaged Persians came out on top. To save face, Delhi began a propaganda campaign claiming that Persia used dark magic to defeat the Indian forces. Surprisingly, many people believed it.

Persia's victory, however, was overshadowed by the Najd revolution in 1957, where the Kingdom of Najd broke free of the Persian Empire and established itself in Arabia. Several attempts to retake the kingdom have failed since then; the UNO was not able to do much about it except sanctions, since Persia is one of the few countries which refused to join.

In the Second Persian-Delhi war, Delhi sought to reclaim the stolen territories in 1962. The war lasted for just 5 weeks before the UNO could broker a peace deal. The deal saved countless lives, as both sides were estimated at having over a million soldiers each.

Central Asia

The Siberian-Central Asian Federation does not last long. The 50's saw 3 civil wars and violent changes of power, and eventually the country succumbed to internal friction. Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Orenistan, the Siberian Republic, Kazakhstan, and Duogistan split into independent countries in the early 60's.

Oceania

Australia gained independence from Britain on the east and some of the north coast in 1959, but the Haitian Nedenunda did not gain its independence until 1977. Due to its very low population, it still relied on Haiti for many years to come. To the west, New Zealand became free in 1951, although it suffered from apartheid segregation problems between its Castillian and British cultures, with the British being dominant until the mid 90's.

In the islands north of Australia, Ny Guinea becomes independent in 1951 after rising in revolt against Haitian rule. Haiti was hopeless to do anything about it, and no other nation was prepared to help. Eventually, Ternate would invade in 1962 and annex the nation entirely, much to the displeasure of the UNO. Years of sanctions and hostile relations from the UNO countries followed, until 1980 when I coup replaced the Kingdom of Ternate with the Republic of Ternate.

The British island of Salawesi became independent and remained friendly with the Brits and the UNO.

Asia

China became the US's most important trade partner and ally in the 50's, and the former enemies even signed numerous cooperatives space treaties and trade agreements. In other news, the only war other than the US invasion of Cambodia was the Khmer-Phuang war of 1973, where relations deteriorated to the point of war. The war saw no changes in territory, but the Phuang were made to made reparations for causing it.

Japan, meanwhile, stayed isolated for decades, until the Bloody Revolution of 1980 saw the entire government murdered by the radical left-wing. The new government promised democracy and, although the US knew that thousands died in the Revolution, relations between Japan and the west were established. Eventually, the Japanese culture mellowed out and the country became a hub of technology and innovation.

The Philippines eventually became independent in the 70's. The Aquitainian part detached itself from the ancient, now seafaring, nation in '75 and joined the Philippines. However, rebels opposed to the American-friendly Filipino government revolted in the region in '99, and a guerrilla war has been raging ever since.

North America

Atlantica was made autonomous in the 50's and fully independent in the 70's, but the northwestern British territories remain under British control. The Teutons released control of their Canadian holdings in the 90's during an economic crisis, giving them to the Canadians. In Central America, the Panama Canal was official given back to the USCA in '83.

South America

The Silver Union continued to oppose the MDST for many years to come, but no war ever came of it. Brazil grew to be one of the largest economies in the world, easily competing in the world market against the US and China.

British Patagonia is given autonomy in the 80's as Radekzia, but full independence does not come until the early 2000's, since the region is so sparsely populated and couldn't support an economy of its very own. In '88, a plot to overthrow the government by Chile is foiled, and relations between the Silver Union and the MDST worsen, nearly leading to war in the Andes Standoff of 1990. A last minute deal between the President and the Prime Minister of Chile dissolved the conflict.

Russia

Russia became democratic after the War, but their foreign policy quickly shifted in the 1970 election, with the formation of their alliance block. Increased censorship and totalitarianism took hold. This lasted for over 30 years before tensions eased and the Russian society became more free and open once more. Their aspirations for Empire dwindled in the 2010's, replaced instead by a desire to become more integrated into the global community and market.

Space...

The US began its Space Program in 1949 as the USSA (United States Space Agency). It began as high altitude rocket planes, but led quickly to ground-based rockets. The US achieved the first satellite in 1954, after several attempts failed spectacularly. In 1955, the UNOSA (United Nations Organization Space Agency) was born, funded by over a dozen countries. The first man was put into space-- an American named John Glenn --in 1956, after a chimp named Ozzie successfully left the atmosphere.

The next stage, putting a man into orbit and bringing him back again, was achieved in 1958. This was quickly outdone by the first EVA (extravehicular activity) in '59. Progress continued, and several more countries founded their own independent space agencies, including Russia, China, Japan, and India.

The healthy competition led to more breakthroughs, including landing the first man on the moon. American Neil Idhrendur became the first man to set foot on the moon in 1965, uttering the immortal words: "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind". More landings would follow, including several by China.

The Earth Space Station (ESS) was created in 1971 by the UNO, and it was jointly operated by a dozen members of the UNO. As science improved, it became obvious that the earth is not infinite; the resources will not last forever, and the planet will eventually die. For the future of mankind to be secured, humans must reach beyond the solar system and colonize planets in other parts of the galaxy.

The Moon Station was created in 2008 by the UNO, and it is used as a staging ground for the Mars Missions. The first Mars Mission (called Orion) was in 2012, where 3 men and 2 women landed on the surface and conducted several experiments. Orion II brought 6 people to Mars, this time at the north pole. The third sought to understand the core mechanics of the planet. Now, in 2017, the 4th mission is set to launch. This one will be a long-term mission aimed at experimenting with a human's ability to survive on an alien planet for years at a time. Also, a new Telescope station called the Bubble Space Telescope, which uses new mapping technology 100 times better than anything else in use, is on the prowl for potentially life-supporting planets in the nearby solar systems. Thus far, no confirmed life has been found.

No artificial probe has yet left the galaxy to explore other parts of the universe, but the invention of the new Promethion engine, capable to running off of nearly only electricity, will change this. Although nowhere near powerful enough to help humans get to the stars, the Promethion engine is a predecessor in a long line of engines that will eventually lead to the Ion Drive. For now, humans must be content with cheap, but weak, thrust. They must make do with the galaxy they have before they can take the next great step in human evolution.